With an arbitration case forcing Tyson Fury to take on Deontay Wilder for a third time, the countdown to the third fight of the blockbuster trilogy is on.
In just over a fortnights time, July 24, 2021, the pair will trade blows at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and “The Gypsy King,” who is the favorite in the Fury vs. Wilder odds, will be hoping to come out of the fight unscathed as he resets his sights on an all-British encounter with Anthony Joshua.
And with the main undercard, which will feature a fight from Top Rank (Fury’s stateside promoters), a bout from Premier Boxing Champions (Wilder’s promoters) and a cross-promotion fight, recently revealed, now is the perfect time to take a look at some of the build-up bouts.
Robert Helenius vs. Adam Kownacki
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder isn’t the only rematch on the night, as PBC’s Adam Kownacki looks to put the record straight after being stunned by Robert Helenius at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last March.
Finland’s Helenius, known as ‘The Nordic Nightmare’, was in dreamland 16 months ago when he pulled off one of the shocks of the year, knocking out Kownacki, the heavy favourite, in the fourth round.
“Baby Face” Kownacki, who boasted an unblemished 20-0 record prior to the fight, is the odds-on favourite again ahead of the pair’s second bout, and the 32-year-old will certainly be out for revenge when he goes toe-to-toe with his 6’6” counterpart.
Jared Anderson vs. Vladimir Tereshkin
Top Rank’s fight will see American Jared Anderson trade blows with Russian Vladimir Tereshkin in an eight-round matchup. Anderson, known as “Big Baby,” has shown a lot of promise in his nine professional fights to date, stopping all his opponents thus far, and he is slowly making his way up the heavyweight division.
However, the experienced Tereshkin will arguably be the 21-year-old’s toughest task yet. With an impressive record of 21-1-0, Tereshkin is unbeaten in his 22 professional fights to date, and he will definitely not be a walk in the park for Anderson.
Frank Sánchez vs. Efe Ajagba
The cross-promotional fight will see PBC’s Frank Sánchez go toe-to-toe with Top Rank’s Efe Ajaba in a 10-round encounter, and both fighters will be putting their unbeaten records on the line in Sin City. Sánchez, who boasts 18 victories from as many professional bouts (13 via KO), is the favourite at 4/7, but there is little to separate the two fighters, with Ajagba, who won a bronze medal when representing Nigeria at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, is as short as 6/4.
“I look forward to fighting Efe Ajagba and coming out victorious,” said Sanchez ahead of the bout. “Boxing fans want to see the best fight the best. People say Efe Ajagba is avoided, and that’s exactly why I chose to fight him. Fans can expect a great fight between two undefeated heavyweights July 24.”
The preliminary card will see Alberto Puello go head-to-head with Rances Barthelemy for the WBA interim world super lightweight title, whilst Steven Torres and Justin Rolfe will trade blows on the night as well.
