The stage is officially set for a blockbuster heavyweight showdown between lineal champion Tyson Fury and WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
A formality was handled with ease as Fury (27-0, 20 KOs) pitched a shutout and earned a unanimous decision against Francesco Pianeta (35-5-1) Saturday in the co-main event of Carl Frampton vs. Luke Jackson at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Island.
The fight, broadcast on Showtime Sports’ YouTube platform, served as a glorified sparring session, but the real attraction was the confrontation that took place between Fury and Wilder afterward. Wilder formally announced that a fight against Fury is now official with a date and location to be revealed next week.
The fight will take place in Las Vegas on Showtime PPV in either November or December, a source told Sporting News.
DAZN: There’s a new way to watch fight sports — find out more
Wilder vs. Fury is official. The date and location will be revealed next week. Sources close to the situation say Las Vegas.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) August 18, 2018
“We are two men who will fight anybody,” Fury said while face to face with Wilder. “They called, I answered. I said send the contract and they sent the contract. I said yes. Now he gets a chance to fight the lineal champion. I went the distance tonight but one thing I promise is that I’m knockout you the f— out, bum!”
Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) responded to Fury’s threat of a knockout with a promise of his own.
“There’s one thing he has never had and that’s the WBC belt,” he said. “If he thinks about having this belt he had better wake up and apologize. I will knock you out and this I promise.”
None of this could take place without Fury taking care of business against Pianeta, and that’s exactly what he did while getting in some much-needed rounds.
Fury — who won his second fight after a 2 1/2-year absence due to personal issues with drugs and alcohol — looked far better against Pianeta than he did against Sefer Seferi in June. For the most part, the 30-year-old cut out the showboating and opted to put his skills on display while picking up some much-needed rounds to ensure that his conditioning was on point.
WATCH: Deontay Wilder gets into heated exchanges with Tyson Fury, father
Fury showcased some impressive hand speed early and ripped body shots into Pianeta behind a range-finding jab. The size difference was also a significant factor as Fury had nearly four inches in height and kept Pianeta on the end of his jab. Whenever Pianeta would close the distance, Fury would slip punches using head movement and footwork. As the rounds progressed, Fury cranked up the pressure and began sitting down on his punches.
For his part, Pianeta wouldn’t go away easily and beckoned Fury to come forward despite landing nothing of significance.
In the end, all three judges saw it in favor of Fury, 100-90.
“I think it was a calculated boxing performance as promised,” Fury said. “I was working on my boxing to slip and slide and use the jab. This was a step up in opponent and a better display. It’s no secret I needed the rounds and I did that tonight.”
After Wilder was unable to land a heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua, Fury injected himself into the conversation and openly challenged The Bronze Bomber. The two exchanged barbs on social media while also revealing that negotiations had quickly advanced for a fight between the two before the end of 2018.
Frampton vs. Jackson live results, updates and round-by-round scoring
At Friday’s weigh-ins, Wilder and Fury exchanged heated words. Fury’s father, Jack, was right in the middle of the fray. It has become obvious that the two side respect one another but will do everything they can to sell the fight between undefeated heavyweight giants. It also won’t take much to market the fight as Fury and Wilder are excellent self-promoters who can not only talk a good game but have proven to be more than capable of backing it up.
The showdown will be arguably the most buzzed about heavyweight fight on American soil since Lennox Lewis squared off with a depleted Mike Tyson in 2002.
