Deontay Wilder Seeks Mediation To Convince Fury To Fight Him

Former WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder continues to exhaust measures to try to get a third fight with new champ, Tyson Fury. First he used public pressure and name-calling through social media. And now, Wilder is trying to legally negotiate/enforce the contract’s rematch clause with Fury.

In an exclusive report from Mike Coppinger, boxing insider for the Athletic, Wilder has sought contractual mediation in an attempt to have Fury come back to the bargaining table on re-scheduling a date for their proposed third fight,

Breaking: Deontay Wilder is attempting to enforce a trilogy fight with Tyson Fury through mediation, which is expected to begin this week. The contract calls for binding arbitration after mediation, sources tell @TheAthletic.

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— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) November 10, 2020

Wilder’s business manager and advisor Shelly Finkel confirmed to the Athletic that this step is being taken almost as a formality towards actual arbitration. The difference is: that mediation is an exercise to try to get two sides to agree. Meanwhile, arbitration is where someone or a group of arbitrators rules quickly in a judicial proceeding.

As we wrote yesterday, Fury has made it clear that he has no interest in giving Wilder a third fight. Fury told British host Gareth Davies on Youtube on the accusation of having used a metal object in right glove,

“Wilder has tried to bring my character down with the Bulls#*t he’s said. So, if I was like the rest of the world, I’d probably sue him for defamation of character for about $100 million. But, I’m not interested in doing that type of thing.

So, he’ll never get a shot at me, now.

Finished….for what he said. Losing is one thing. Everybody can lose to a better man. To come out with the amount of B.S. he’s come out with over the last 8 months? …He’s ridiculous. I don’t want to give him any air time.” 

Fury made it clear that he was ready to fight Wilder first as scheduled in July, then the rescheduled tentative date in October and finally, on any of the three dates that had been discussed in December for a potential fight with some fans present.

But, according to him, the deadline to make a fight passed and he’s now going to move on.

For his part, Wilder blasted Fury on social media on October 31st and outright accused the new champ of having hit him with a metal object inside of his right glove during his 7th round TKO victory in February. Wilder also shamed Fury saying that he gave Fury the February rematch, when he didn’t have to do so.

It is interesting that the mediation step was also what Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions were attempting to have back last month to get the four Division World Champ back in the ring 2020. The mediator met virtually with Canelo, De La Hoya, and representatives from the DAZN streaming service in an attempt to have him take less money to be able to fight this year.

However, that mediation was not binding and ultimately the sides did not agree. Eventually, what was worked out was Canelo being allowed by Golden Boy to become a free agent,  have a new promoter and be able to make his own deals in the future.

Fury seems intent on pressing ahead to fight Kurdish German Heavyweight contender Agit, Kabayel on December 5th likely in London.

There is also an option available to Wilder and his team. That would be to attempt to enforce the contract through some type of “Temporary Restraining Order”or TRO that could keep Fury from being able to make that fight with someone else until a judge could rule on it.

However, the TRO rout doesn’t have a high percentage chance of working, as judge might simply order the sides to arbitration and a final decision.