On some occasions, we earn revenue from content. This commercial content is compiled via expert opinion. Clicking in certain hyperlinks within this article will redirect you to a 3rd party.
Tyson Fury has officially signed an unbelievable £80 million, five fight contract with American sports giant ESPN. The deal will allow Fury’s fights to still be broadcast on British sports network BT Sport thanks to the companies’ working relationship. Fury’s contract with ESPN provides a variety of pros and cons for boxing. Fight fans can visit Virgin games and explore great new promo codes for 2019. The British heavyweight could still enter the ring to face off with Deontay Wilder once more. However, the contract with ESPN makes any future bouts against Wilder or IBF, WBA, and WBO unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua a difficult proposition.
Will Fury face off with Deontay Wilder in a rematch?
Fury’s and Wilder’s bout in December 2018 was a critical and commercial success. Thanks to the amount of money that was made from the event, there is a desire for a rematch to take place this year. But Fury’s deal with ESPN could prevent that from occurring.
The British heavyweight has stated he wants to fight Wilder. The two were expected to tangle in Las Vegas in May. That seems a bit too soon now. According to Fury, manager Frank Warren is still working on the details for the fight, but Fury won’t sit around waiting for a rematch.
Will Fury fight Anthony Joshua anytime soon?
While there is still a chance Wilder and Fury will get back into the ring at some point, the likelihood of the “Gypsy King” fighting Joshua looks more unlikely. Joshua's fights are streamed by the DAZN network in the U.S. The on-demand service pales in comparison to ESPN, which is one of the largest sports networks in the world. Fury’s stock as a fighter has risen in the U.S. ESPN’s desire to sign him to an exclusive deal will only expose the British fighter to more American fight fans.
Fury’s contract will only make the negotiates for fights between the three major heavyweights in the sport more difficult. Boxing has long been criticised for not bringing the best in the sport together in the ring. It looks like things won’t change as the best fighters are now represented by different television networks.
ESPN’s interest in Fury
ESPN has faced financial difficulties in recent years. A combination of viewers cutting the cable and a change in television viewer interests have caused concers for the network. Over the last few years, ESPN has shown more interest in WWE content to appeal to wrestling fans. The network famously aired wrestling throughout the 1980s and 1990s before moving away from it.
In 2018, the company announced a five-year deal with UFC and hopes mixed martial arts content will drive more viewers to its subscription services. The additions of WWE and UFC seen to have reignited the company’s boxing interest.
Fury is just another feather in ESPN’s cap in terms of fight and sports entertainment. ESPN’s signing of Fury takes the fighter away from cable network Showtime. But it could influence a domino effect in boxing that sees elite fighters align themselves with networks.
A Wilder versus Fury fight is still being rumoured for the end of May. But with spring on the way, it looks likely that the two fighters will not touch gloves in Las Vegas until at least the autumn.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article