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          Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder make third fight in rivalry official

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 23, 2021, 12:59 AM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          LAS VEGAS -- WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have both signed contracts for the third bout in their heavyweight rivalry.

          During the Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez telecast on ESPN on Saturday, Fury said that he had signed his contract. Wilder has also finalized his side of the deal, according to boxing manager Shelly Finkel.

          The fight will be on July 24, sources told ESPN. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will host the bout, Top Rank's Bob Arum told ESPN's Kel Dansby.

          Fury will receive 60% of the purse to 40% for Wilder, sources told ESPN's Mark Kriegel.

          The agreement comes six days after an independent arbitrator ruled that Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) was legally obligated for a third fight with Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs).

          The arbitrator's ruling derailed negotiations between Fury and Anthony Joshua for an undisputed title fight in Saudi Arabia this summer. Both sides were on the verge of finalizing a deal before Monday's arbitration.

          Discussions were limited regarding a potential "step-aside" fee to Wilder to make Fury-Joshua possible.

          Prior to the first fight in 2018 that ended in a draw, Wilder had knocked out all his previous opponents. Fury got off the canvas in the 12th round to escape his first defeat. In the 2020 rematch, Fury battered Wilder for a seventh-round TKO victory. Neither fighter has fought since the bout.