Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, who co-promotes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, is crossing his fingers that a live crowd will be possible for a year-end target date for the trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder.
As BoxingScene.com reported a few weeks ago, Arum’s company is targeting December 19th at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium – which is the Raiders’ new $2 billion stadium.
The venue is big enough for Arum’s goal of 20,000 fans with social distancing measures in place.
“That is the date that we all want,” Arum said to The Review Journal. “That’s the date that both sides are happy with. Whether we’ll be able to do it in the stadium with limited seating, that’s in the hands of the gods. Whenever they fight, I think it’s going to be a huge type of attraction, and to do it as the first fight at Allegiant Stadium would be something really special.”
Back in February, Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) stopped Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) in seven rounds to capture the WBC heavyweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The rematch had a crowd of 15,816 and a gate of $16.9 million.
The first bout, which took place in December 2018, saw the fight end in a controversial twelve round split draw. That bout took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
After the second fight, Wilder exercised an immediate rematch clause to force a third encounter.
While Arum has everyone on target for Fury-Wilder 3, he doubts Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez can take place in Allegiant Stadium. Arum is targeting September 19 for that lightweight unification.
“By Dec. 19, people will say, ‘Yeah, maybe by then, the worst is over and they can do it,'” Arum said.
“If I start saying September, I open up can of worms. … If we have to do (Lomachenko and Lopez) in the bubble, then we’ll do it in the bubble. If we can get spectators, maybe at the MGM or at Allegiant or whatever, we’ll keep everybody in the bubble and get spectators. But I’m not asking for that now. And I don’t know if that’ll be possible.”
–boxingscene.com
