Wilder v Fury II: WBC says Briton is entitled to greater share of rematch purse

Tyson Fury got up from a 12th round knockdown to draw against Deontay Wilder in December

Tyson Fury is entitled to a greater share of the purse for his rematch against heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, says the WBC.

Britain’s Fury and American Wilder shared a controversial and thrilling draw in Los Angeles in December.

The WBC has told their promoters to agree a rematch by 5 February.

If there is no agreement, the WBC will split the purse bid 60-40 in favour of Wilder, “considering the market value of Fury”.

This is an increase from the 30% that is typically due to the challenger in a title fight.

The WBC sanctioned a direct rematch between Fury and Wilder last month, ensuring the American did not have to face mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale next.

Fury’s promoter Frank Warren and Wilder’s promoter Shelly Finkel will now negotiate but if they do not agree an acceptable fee for both fighters by the deadline, the fight is open to sealed bids from other promoters, with the highest bid winning.

If that happens, Fury would then be entitled to 40% of the purse. Earlier this month, Warren said Fury was a bigger draw than heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Joshua has a date booked at Wembley Stadium on 13 April for his next fight and a unification bout with Wilder is the number one target.

But Wilder has been more open to fighting Fury and Warren believes Joshua – promoted by Eddie Hearn – is wary of a contest with his man.

Although Fury was knocked down in the ninth and 12th rounds against Wilder, many observers thought the 30-year-old Briton should have won the bout, which was scored 115-111 for Wilder, 114-112 for Fury and 113-113.

Fury said he had “never seen a worse decision in my life” and described it as a “gift” for his opponent.

Wilder, 33, questioned if referee Jack Reiss’ count was too slow in Fury’s remarkable rise from the canvas in the 12th round, which Reiss denied.

Analysis

BBC Sport boxing reporter Luke Reddy

Deontay Wilder may well feel uneasy about a decrease in his perceived value for this potential rematch but there can be no doubt the sell through of a second bout will far exceed their first meeting.

In a nutshell, there will be a bigger pie to slice up.

Consider the fact Wilder has appeared on some of US television’s biggest talk shows since the Los Angeles contest and it is easy to see his appeal has grown, while Fury has – in the words of his promoter – become a “people’s champion”.

The thrilling nature of their December tussle will undoubtedly also get more people out of bed second time around, with sports fans who held out on buying the fight last time around possibly being influenced by the fear of missing out for take two.

Warren has insisted all along that this fight is easy to make given the smooth nature of negotiations last time, so the WBC deadline in theory should not be a problem.

With the fight seemingly edging nearer, it means Anthony Joshua almost certainly misses out on a glamour bout at Wembley with Wilder or Fury on 13 April.

Dillian Whyte appears his only feasible option at such a grand venue and Whyte last week rubbished the financial package offered to him so far.

Doubt now surrounds the Wembley fixture, meaning Joshua may instead scrap the date and hone in on a US debut in the weeks to follow, with Jarrell Miller almost certainly his opponent. – bbc.com