LONDON: Tyson Fury has told the World Boxing Council he plans to fight an as-yet-unnamed opponent before any rematch with reigning heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, the WBC revealed.
The WBC said on Twitter that it had been notified by Fury’s camp that the British fighter was planning another fight before climbing back into the ring with Wilder.
Wilder and Fury fought to a draw in Los Angeles in December after an epic 12-round battle at the Staples Center.
Their rematch is likely to be one of the most-anticipated fights of the year following a first meeting which reignited interest in the heavyweight division.
The two fighters traded verbal barbs on social media after news of the delayed rematch emerged.
Wilder, who sent Fury to the canvas twice in their first fight, mocked the Briton for delaying the rematch.
“You requested a warm-up fight first — I don’t blame you tho, I probably would too if I saw my brains splashed all over the canvas,” Wilder said on Twitter.
Fury jabbed back with a dig at Wilder’s perceived low profile among mainstream US sports fans.
“Get your self a bit more well known in America first kid & then I’ll give you another chance!” Fury wrote.
“I already beat you & the world knows it & so do you must be hard for you that a British fighter has taken over the USA.”
Doubts over a rematch first emerged last week when Fury signed a multi-fight deal with US promoter Top Rank and sports television network ESPN.
Top Rank is owned by veteran promoter Bob Arum, who has a history of difficult negotations with Al Haymon, one of Wilder’s co-managers.
The WBC had earlier given the greenlight for a direct rematch between Wilder and Fury following their Dec. 1 meeting.
“Wilder and Fury gave boxing one of the best fights in the heavyweight division in a long time, which has created tremendous popular demand for the fans to see a rematch,” the WBC said in December.
Wilder, who retained his title with a controversial split decision draw against Fury, had stated his desire to schedule a rematch as quickly as possible.
“I’m ready to do it again,” Wilder said last December. “I’m looking forward to giving him the rematch as soon as possible.”
Tyson Fury to fight before Deontay Wilder rematch
Tyson Fury to fight before Deontay Wilder rematch
- Fighters exchange insults on Twitter.
- Wilder and Fury fought to a draw in Los Angeles in December after an epic 12-round battle at the Staples Center.
Benzema grabs hat-trick on Al-Hilal debut as Blues cruise to victory over Al-Okhdood
RIYADH: Karim Benzema had a debut to remember on Thursday, just days after completing a blockbuster move to Al-Hilal from Al-Ittihad.
The Frenchman, who had scored eight goals for his former side this season, took his tally to 11 as he grabbed a hat-trick against home side Al-Okhdood.
Benzema, wearing the No. 90 jersey, led the line in Najran as Al-Hilal sought to hit the 50-point mark in the Saudi Pro League and maintain their lead at the top. With Al-Ahli just three points behind and playing at the same time against Al-Hazem, victory was imperative.
Flanked by Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari, Benzema enjoyed a comfortable first outing with the Blues. As he dropped deep to overload the midfield and drifted intelligently between attacking channels, a goal on his debut always felt inevitable.
After a goal resulting from slick combination between Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Dawsari was ruled out because of a foul by Ali Lajami in the build-up, the game remained goalless in the opening half hour.
But then Benzema, targeting the same channels as Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Dawsari, dropped deep to initiate a move before advancing into the six-yard box to backheel the opener in the 31st minute.
Fifteen minutes after the break, Kalidou Koulibaly won possession high up the pitch before releasing Malcom into space, who squared for Benzema to tap home his second.
Al-Dawsari created Benzema’s third just three minutes later, after Milinkovic-Savic carried the ball toward the box and gave the winger a chance to pick out Benzema with a low cross.
Pundits on official broadcaster Thmanyah highlighted the role Benzema was playing in helping Al-Hilal diversify their attacking play. With the trio of Malcom, Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Dawsari missing a consistent, clinical striker to provide for until now — 10 players in the league have scored more goals than Al-Hilal’s top scorer Marcos Leonardo — Benzema provided the final piece of the puzzle and completed it with full marks on his first appearance.
With the clock ticking down, Al-Hilal capitalized as Al-Okhdood tired, and Malcom grabbed his side’s fourth goal in the 70th minute, before Al-Dawsari added a brace to complete an emphatic 6-0 rout.
Over in Jeddah, Al-Ahli faced a visiting Al-Hazem side led by the last striker to guide the Greens to a league title, Omar Al-Somah. The Syrian striker failed to make much of an an impact on his return to Al-Inma Stadium, however.
After a difficult first half against resilient opponents, Ivan Toney finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute to extend his tally at the top of the Pro League goal-scoring chart to 19. It came when veteran keeper Ibrahim Zaid, deputizing in goal for Bruno Varela who was forced off in the 33rd minute due to injury, spilled a corner, allowing Toney to pounce and tap in from close range.
Any hope of a comeback was extinguished in the 76th minute when Sultan Tanker bundled the ball into his own net following a low cross from Mohammed Abdulrahman.
Earlier, Al-Fayha defeated Al-Najma 3-0 at home to move ahead of Al-Hazem into 11th place in the league. The visitors continue to endure the worst start to a season in Pro League history, becoming the first team to go 20 matches without a victory.
On Friday, NEOM host Al-Riyadh at 5:25 p.m. and Al-Ettifaq face visitors Damac at 6 p.m., before the weekend’s blockbuster match-up as Al-Nassr host Al-Ittihad at 8:30 p.m.
