‘Revenge is priceless’: Deontay Wilder focusing on Fury trilogy bout amid report that he refused megabucks ‘step-aside’ deal

Deontay Wilder is focused on gaining revenge against Tyson Fury after reportedly turning down a multi-million dollar deal to stand aside from his contractual right to a third fight with the undefeated Englishman.

An arbitration panel ruled this week that WBC heavyweight champion Fury must fulfil his contractual obligation to fight Wilder for a third time before September 15 of this year, all but ruling out the so-called 'Battle of Britain' between Fury and fellow heavyweight king Anthony Joshua, which would unified all the titles in boxing's heavyweight division for the first time in two decades.

After a year of build-up and false starts, a date and host venue had finally been agreed for the Fury-Joshua encounter, with the massive fight announced as going ahead on August 14 in Saudi Arabia.

Wilder, though, threw a considerable spanner in the works when it was reported that he was refusing any offers to stand aside to allow the fight to progress unimpeded – with figures as high as $20 million being reported in the media as being turned down by the former champion.

'The Bronze Bomber' has faced Fury twice, drawing the first and losing the second by seventh-round TKO – the first defeat of Wilder's professional career. 

He now says that revenge against 'The Gypsy King' is his sole focus, and took to Instagram to showcase his training regimen under the watchful eye of new coach Malik Scott.

"Revenge is the sweetest joy – next to getting p***y," wrote Wilder, referencing the lyrics to a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur.

Caught up with @Tyson_Fury, who told me he’s not willing to pay Deontay Wilder even a cent to step aside. Instead, Fury said Wilder’s payment will be punishment in the ring.

“He tells people I cracked his skull last time, I’m going to crack his skull wide open this time.” pic.twitter.com/XiZ42jb39c

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 20, 2021

He also added the hashtags "Bomb squad", "Til this day" and "Revenge is priceless".

Fury, though, will enter any third fight with Wilder as a strong favorite to repeat the tactics he used to bludgeon his rival in their previous meeting. The Brit adapted his strategy from their first fight to use a constant, aggressive walk-forward approach, to which Wilder had little answer.

The second sequel in the Fury-Wilder rivalry means that the blockbuster showdown with Joshua now looks set to be delayed until at least November.

Fury's US promoter, Bob Arum, has suggested that Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium could be set to host Fury-Wilder III on July 24, while Joshua is expected to face undefeated mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk in the interim.

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