Deontay Wilder has begun a dispute resolution process in an attempt to force a third match between the Bronze Bomber and Tyson Fury.
Fury is the current WBC heavyweight champion after defeating the American boxer in February 2020, and a trilogy fight had been anticipated for December 19.
That third fight had been postponed twice, first due to injury and then as a result of the coronavirus, and both the pandemic and a bicep injury to Wilder have been blamed for a third postponement. US broadcasters were also keen to move the fight into next year after other sports restarted, reducing the need for boxing content.
That delay caused Fury to claim he was ‘moving on’ from the fight and that he considered any contract between the pair to be void.
Fury is now due to fight Agit Kabayel on December 5 in London as he looks to stay sharp, and is expected to take on Anthony Joshua twice in 2021.
According to The Athletic, the first stage of the process is mediation which is due to take place this week with a retired judge looking over the contracts, before coming to a binding judgment.
Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel told the site that they were, “going into it very optimistically this week,” and hopes for a conclusion to the matter before the end of the year.
Fury and his US co-promoter Top Rank believe that the contract between Fury and Wilder cannot enforce a rematch at any given time, and that any bout needed to take place by mid-October. As the 32-year-old had already agreed to a delay until December, they believe there is no further need to deal with Wilder.