If Fury wins, Wilder plans to challenge

NEW YORK—Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is on a business trip this weekend in Belfast. He’ll be ringside as a TV commentator for Saturday’s fight between Tyson Fury and Francesco Pianeta.

But even Wilder has something riding on the outcome of this matchup.

If Fury wins, Wilder plans to challenge him to a fight they’ve already discussed—right then and there.

“Why not?” Wilder told The Associated Press. “You got two heavyweights in the same room from the same division. You got the champion, then you got the other champion. It’s only right.”

Wilder holds the WBC belt. Fury is the lineal champion, having beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. The lineal champion is a title given to the fighter who defeats the last fighter to hold all the boxing belts in a weight class. And Wilder wants that moniker.

“This fight is real,” Wilder said. “The fight is on.”

As long as Fury wins. Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said the deal between Wilder and Fury is virtually done. The only details that need to be ironed out are the specific date and location.

Wilder said Las Vegas. Espinoza said that’s the natural option, but New York is another strong contender. Nov. 17 is a possible date, according to Showtime.

Both parties agreed that Showtime, which has shown 10 of Wilder’s fights, will get the Wilder-Fury bout—available on pay-per-view.