By Charles Brun: Promoter Dean Lonergan is talking about wanting to work with Tyson Fury’s promoter Bob Arum to stage the trilogy match with Deontay Wilder on Boxing Day in Australia, and the fight would be shown in the U.S on Christmas on December 25.
What makes Australia an excellent option for WBC heavyweight champion Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) is the low number of cases of people with the flu.
It’s a place with a better chance of having a large crowd than if they stage the fight in the U.S, which may not be allowing large groups of fans yet by December. However, that’s hard to believe that large crowds still won’t be allowed to attend live events in the U.S by December.
While it sounds like a whacky idea, you can’t rule out because it could be the best offer Arum gets for the fight.
If the offer beats what the other places that Arum is looking at staging the Fury-Wilder III fight, Macau, China, and Las Vegas, Nevada, then it’ll end up there.
Large crowds possible for Fury-Wilder 3 in Australia
Lonergan wants to stage the third Fury vs. Wilder fight at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium.
“When Bob came out and said that we are talking to ‘our friends in Australia’, I’m the one he’s talking to,” Lonergan told the Herald. “It’s my proposal, I put it to him with budgets, how we’d do it, the whole lot.
“Bob has been an incredible partner and ally for me in the world of boxing. I just had thought six weeks ago that if these guys can’t do a major fight in Las Vegas or New York, why not come down here where I know we can get a crowd,” said Lonergan.
There’s probably not a lot of U.S boxing fans that will be eager to watch Fury and Wilder fight on Christmas day on pay-per-view. That doesn’t sound like a good idea at all. While the American fans have a tradition of watching NFL football on Thanksgiving, it’s a different story with Christmas.
That’s when a lot of family members travel to visit their loved ones. It’s hard to picture a lot of households wanting to purchase the Wilder-Fury trilogy on December 25 with all their family members around.
That wouldn’t fly for one person to having a boxing match going on in the background while other familiar members, who have zero interest in the sport, are trying to talk. Even if this were a football game, that wouldn’t be a good idea for Christmas either.
Staging the fight before the holidays works better
It would be a much better idea to have Wilder and Fury fight well before the Christmas and New Year holidays if they want it to be successful. As long as large groups of people are allowed to attend live events in the United States by November or EARLY December, then that would be a good time to have Wilder battle Fury in the third match.
It’s important that the organizers for the fight realize that the Chrismas holiday is not a good time to be putting on boxing events.
If Arum is willing to have the Wilder-Fury fight do poor pay-per-view numbers, then he should go for it. But the idea is so out of the world nuts, it makes you wonder what they’re thinking.
This writer remembers trying to watch football games during Thanksgiving with family members around, and they never liked having it on television. They wanted holiday programs or no TV at all.
Arum is still considering staging the Wilder vs. Fury fight in Macau, China, and the U.S. He says he’s got investors that are willing to put up money to have the battle take place in Macau, China, and he’s excited about that. But until they come up with the cash, Arum will be looking at staging the fight in the U.S or elsewhere.
Deontay wants to avenge his loss
When this fight does happen, Wilder will be looking to avenge his loss to Fury from last February. Fury bulked up to 273 pounds and used his size to walk down the lighter 231 pounds Wilder and knock him out in the seventh round.
That style of fighting probably wouldn’t have worked for Fury if he used it for the first Wilder fight, as the Bronze Bomber looked stronger and his accuracy was much better. If Fury tries that same fight strategy for the third match with Wilder, it could be interesting if he starts getting clipped.
What worked once for Fury may not work again. That’s why it might not be a good idea for Fury to come into the fight so heavy because that bulk could be his undoing once Wilder starts nailing him with right hands on the jaw.
Will U.S fans purchase Fury vs. Wilder on Christmas
“We are flexible around the timing, but if we did it at 1.30 pm on Boxing Day, it would be beamed back into the States on Christmas night. This could be a massive historical event,” said Lonergan.
This idea of having the Wilder vs. Fury III fight beamed into the U.S from Australia on Christmas is probably not going to work. Will Wilder agree to it? How about Fury? Maybe if this fight were staged on October 31, it might work. Place on Halloween, and maybe it’ll do well in the U.S. Even on that holiday, it probably wouldn’t do well. Fans like to go to parties on Halloween night.
Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t want to watch Fury and Wilder fight on Christmas. I wouldn’t want to annoy my family by having a combat sport going on in the background while they’re to talk. It’s a special day for people, and violent sports like boxing isn’t a great idea for this holiday.
