Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder could bring the thunder down under.
Per Sky Sports, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has received an offer to host Part III of the trilogy in Australia on Christmas this year. China and Las Vegas were also in the running.
Dean Lonergan, an events promoter, detailed his pitch to get the fight done in Australia to Sky Sports, floating Bankwest Stadium in Western Sydney or Marvel Stadium in Melbourne as potential venues for the heavyweight showdown.
“Wouldn’t it be great to do it on Boxing Day as a celebration of Jack Johnson’s victory for the heavyweight championship over Tommy Burns in 1908 in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney?,” Lonergan said. “That way, it would be broadcast back into the U.S. on Christmas night.”
Lonergan and Arum have worked together in the past, with the bout between Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn taking place in Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. Suncorp Stadium was mentioned as another potential venue for the Fury-Wilder match.
The plan, which is reportedly being considered by Arum, would come into stronger focus should the United States and Britain not be fully open for business yet amid coronavirus pandemic. Should both countries be ruled out, then Australia, China and even the Middle East could stage the fight.
Lonergan mentions that Australia could be one of the first countries in the world to reopen to crowds, with coronavirus numbers dwindling there and in Lonergan’s native New Zealand.
“But if you want to come to one of the safest places in the world and give yourself a guaranteed crowd, well, perhaps Australia is the place to be,” Lonergan said.
Wilder vs. Fury I took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The rematch was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Wilder has not fought outside of the U.S. since 2013, when he fought Brit Audley Harrison to a TKO victory.