Could Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s trilogy fight be staged in Macau?
- Fight promoters turn to Asia as a viable location with preferred option, Las Vegas, unable to stage the fight due to coronavirus
- Macau last hosted a high-profile fight promotion in 2014
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said at the weekend that negotiations were ongoing for the third outing between the pair, and that interest had been expressed from a “Far East territory”, according to a report in the Daily Star.
The pair fought out a draw in a sensational first tilt back in December 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The February fight between Fury and Wilder earned a reported US$16.5 million in gate receipts, a new Las Vegas heavyweight record.
The Daily Star report said organisers were waiting for a bid for the hosting rights to be tabled.
Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum has previously staged high-profile boxing cards in the South China Sea SAR, and his Top Rank Boxing promotion has organised a series of big events in Asia over the last decade.
Macau, often referred to as “the Las Vegas of the East” in Western media, last hosted a high-profile boxing clash in November 2014 when Manny Pacquiao fought American Chris Algieri in the second of two title bouts in the Chinese territory.
“Pacman” comfortably won a judges’ decision almost exactly a year after his previous Macau blockbuster – another points victory over American Brandon Rios. That fight was dubbed a return of big-time boxing to the region with a card that also featured future heavyweight king Andy Ruiz.
Six months after the Algieri win, Pacquiao would go on to lose the infamous “Fight of the Century” against Floyd Mayweather.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as another viable Asian host for high-profile boxing promotions in recent years, and most recently staged the “Clash on the Dunes” between British heavyweight Anthony Joshua and American Ruiz in December.
Reports suggested the controversial Gulf kingdom paid US$40 million for the rights to host that event. However, Saudi Arabia has been considerably more affected by the spread of Covid-19, with more than 72,500 cases reported so far.
Last year, it hosted the International Boxing Federation (IBF) convention for the first time. The IBF is one of world boxing’s four main sanctioning bodies.
The Macau government’s reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak has been praised globally, with just 45 cases reported and no deaths.
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