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Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight title tilt set for Staples Center in Los Angeles

Tyson Fury (right) and Deontay Wilder.
Fighters Network
25
Sep

Deontay Wilder’s showdown with Tyson Fury has a home.

After a heated battle with Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, a deal was agreed to Tuesday that will bring the heavyweight title tilt to Staples Center in Los Angeles, industry sources told The Ring.

The Showtime Pay-Per-View main event, set for December 1, will be the first significant heavyweight title fight in L.A. since 2003. That’s when Vitali Klitschko was a late substitute for Kirk Johnson in a classic tussle with Lennox Lewis. More than 15 years later, big-time heavyweight boxing returns with Wilder and Fury, two of the most charismatic characters in the sport.

The bout is receiving the super fight treatment: the press tour will kick off Monday in London, before it heads to New York the following day and then Los Angeles on Wednesday.



Wilder (40-0, 39 knockouts) scored the best victory of his career in March, a come-from-behind knockout of Luis Ortiz. Widely considered the most dangerous puncher in the sport, the WBC titleholder is rated No. 2 by The Ring at heavyweight, and he’s long craved this type of high-profile matchup.

The Alabama native (who also has a home in L.A.) thought he was close to attaining his goal this summer, but negotiations for a mega fight with Anthony Joshua fell apart. Now, he has the next best option, and a chance to be crowned the lineal champion.

Fury, a 28-year-old Brit, remains undefeated. He grabbed the lineal championship with an upset decision win over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, but a battle with addiction and depression sidelined him until summer.

The Gypsy King returned with a pair of victories over journeyman, and now he’s prepared for the biggest fight of his life. He announced he’ll conduct his training camp at Abel Sanchez’s compound in Big Bear Lake, California, where the 6-foot-9 fighter will be aided by the presence of Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce, with whom he’ll spar.

The fight will be Wilder’s introduction to PPV; Fury has headlined on the vehicle in the U.K., but never in the U.S. Promoters are hoping their bombastic personalities and flair for the dramatic will lead to commercial success, couple with the public’s thirst for a meaningful heavyweight title tilt.

Big-time heavyweight boxing has thrived overseas. Now, it’s finally back Stateside, too.

Mike Coppinger is the Senior Writer for RingTV.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger

 

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