Here’s why the boxing rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury likely won’t happen

Just when fight fans started paying closer attention to the heavyweight division again, one appealing bout looks like it will be shelved for the foreseeable future.

Champion Deontay Wilder and former titleholder Tyson Fury seemed headed for a direct rematch following their dramatic and disputed first title fight last December. Out-boxed for most of the bout, Wilder capitalized on two knockdowns to retain his World Boxing Council belt with a split draw.

After the fight, Wilder and Fury exchanged compliments and stressed the importance of an immediate second bout.

But boxing politics and the all-too-common influence of conflicting promoters and TV networks played roles in scrapping the direct possibility of Wilder-Fury II.

Wilder, instead, will defend his title against Dominic Breazeale on May 18 in Brooklyn. The bout is listed as a mandatory defense of Wilder’s WBC belt.

Meanwhile, Fury has moved on and will make his debut under new promoter Top Rank on June 15, when he faces Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas.

With Fury signing a multiyear contract with the Bob Arum-led company, his fights now will be televised on ESPN. The cable network showcases Top Rank fighters under its deal with the promotional company.

Fury’s new TV deal creates an instant obstacle to a second fight with Wilder because the champion’s fights are broadcast on Showtime, including his bout with Breazeale. Yet Fury believes the rematch still is possible, the fighters’ TV deals notwithstanding.

“As far as I’m concerned the fight is more makeable now than ever because we’re the biggest boys in the game,” Fury said in an appearance last month to announce his new promotional deal. “I want the biggest fights.”

Wilder’s title bout against Breazeale will not generate as much attention as a second fight with Fury. But Wilder, who has made eight successful defenses of the title he won in 2015, prides himself on being a champion and sees it as his leverage to land future top fights. As a result, he is willing to comply with the WBC-mandated defense with Breazeale.

“It’s always great to get a mandatory out of the way,” Wilder said in the news conference that officially announced the bout two weeks ago. “They’re like flies buzzing in my ear. I just want to get them out of the way so I can do great things for the heavyweight division. I want one champion, one face, one name, but you need a lot of cooperation to make that happen.”

Lack of cooperation likely will block the division’s other attractive events — fights involving Wilder or Fury against Anthony Joshua. Joshua, who holds the other three major sanctioning body titles, has his fights broadcast under the streaming service DAZN.

AROUND THE RING

▪ Middleweight champion Claressa Shields will complete the final training phase of her championship fight against Christina Hammer in Miami Beach. Shields moved her camp to the 5th Street Gym as she continues preparation for the unification bout against Hammer on April 13 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Shields spent her first five weeks of camp in Colorado Springs.

“We did what we had to do in Colorado,” Shields said in a statement. “Florida is just an ideal environment all-around and a happy place for me to be these last couple weeks.”

▪ Late Saturday, Oleksandr Gvozdyk retained his WBC light-heavyweight title with a fifth-round TKO victory over Doudou Ngumbu in Philadelphia. Ngumbu injured his calf and could not continue fighting as Gvozdyk made the first successful defense of the title he won last December.

This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 4:11 PM.