Fury-Wilder III: Wilder Calls Delay Of Third Fight A ‘Blessing,’ New Referee And One Judge Added To Work Fight

Fans may have been waiting for months for the third showdown between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, but Wilder said he’s thankful for the delay.

Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) was initially frustrated when Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) pulled out in early July ahead of their originally scheduled trilogy fight. But on Tuesday, Wilder said he used his extra time to prepare accordingly.

“The delay was a blessing, a blessing for me,” Wilder said. “You know, the more they delayed it, the more time we had to work on our craft and art, and to go over even more, strategically, go over the game plan that we’re gonna have come October the 9th.”

Wilder typically has a few months in between fights.

His second biggest layoff was back in 2017 when he came off a nine-month hiatus to defend the WBC world heavyweight title against Bermane Stiverne, which he won via knockout.

For Fury, after snatching the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, he didn’t fight until June 2018 where he scored a referee technical decision against Sefer Seferi.

During the delay of Fury-Wilder III, Wilder has said Fury should be stripped of his belt if he doesn’t fight soon. The bout was on edge when Fury’s new-born daughter spent time in the ICU and the boxer halted training.

But, Tuesday evening, the heavyweights finally made their grand appearances in Las Vegas, where they’re staging the event.

Their final press conference takes place at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

A new referee and one new judge will work the trilogy fight on Saturday than the original list of officials the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved.

“So, you know, it was a time of frustration because as a fighter, you know, I mean, as a fighter, you’re ready to go,” Wilder said. “You know, you’re ready to get back out there. And this is the longest I’ve been out of the ring, especially when I’m anxious to get in the ring.”

That time Tyson Fury was caught lacking…😬

🕛The countdown to #FuryWilderIII continues!
*Fury/Wilder III airs on Oct. 9 in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/R4i45S2ecH

— FIGHT SPORTS (@FIGHTSPORTS) October 6, 2021