Organisers Scrap Faceoff At Wilder vs Fury Weigh-in

Organisers say Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will not face off at Friday’s weigh-in to prevent any possible on-stage clash ahead of their rematch.

Fury, 31, and WBC world heavyweight champion Wilder shoved one another at a news conference before their first bout in 2018.

Both men were at it again at a news conference on Wednesday, leaving organisers frustrated by the time it took for security to intervene.

At Wednesday’s news conference, Briton Fury and American Wilder, 34, pushed each other before interviews began. When they were asked to square up again after the media event, promoter Bob Arum shouted “no”.

The pair are being tipped to achieve two million pay-per-view sales priced at $74.99 in the US.

As a result, the commission sanctioning the bout has acted with caution as any injury or incident that could lead to a postponement would see organisers lose out on millions of dollars.

The fight has seen parallels drawn with iconic bouts of the past, including Lennox Lewis’ fight with Mike Tyson in Memphis in 2002.

On that occasion the former heavyweight world champions weighed in three hours apart in a bid to avoid a clash.

Fury rose from the canvas in the ninth and 12th rounds when he drew with Wilder in Los Angeles 15 months ago and has threatened to deliver an early knockout against his rival this time around.

Wilder, who has held the WBC title for over five years, has one of the most feared right hands in boxing history and has 95% knockout ratio, the highest of any world heavyweight champion.

Fury and Wilder will weigh in at about 23:00 GMT on Friday, with thousands of fans set to attend at the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena.