Tyson Fury has been ordered to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time, casting doubt over a proposed August super fight with Anthony Joshua.
Fury won the WBC world heavyweight title from Wilder in a rematch in February 2020 after an initial draw.
The pair were due to fight again but delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Fury to seek an alternative.
The BBC reports a US judge ruled in mediation that Wilder has a right to face Fury for a third time before 15th September.
Wilder's team had long argued their fighter had a contractual right to a third fight with Fury.
But after delays caused by the pandemic led to a proposed July 2020 contest being postponed, Wilder's team then sought to move the bout into 2021.
Fury refused the 2021 date and stated he would move on. That prompted mediation overseen by American judge Daniel Weinstein, who has now sided with Wilder and set a 15th September deadline for a third contest.
Just 24 hours before the arbitration hearing, Fury confirmed he had agreed to fight fellow Briton Joshua for all four heavyweight world titles in Saudi Arabia on 14th August.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has also stated several times that the August bout was in place with terms agreed.
The mediation outcome does not necessarily mean a Fury-Joshua fight cannot take place in August but fresh deals will now need to be struck for it to do so.
This could take the form of Wilder being offered a financial sum to allow Fury-Joshua to take place.
[Source: BBC]
