Deontay Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel is over the moon about winning his arbitration case with Tysons Fury after the big British heavyweight tried to walk away from his contractual rematch.
Fury’s management mistakenly believed that they would win their arbitration case with Wilder. Indeed, they were so confident that they would get their way that they scheduled a fight with Joshua for August 14th in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn wore himself out scouring the world to fight a site location for the Joshua vs. Fury fight.
After months of hard work, Hearn finally gets the deal done, only to discover that Fury couldn’t take the fight due to him losing his arbitration case.
With the arbitrator ordering Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) to face Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) in a rematch, the goal now is to derail the Gypsy King’s big plans to face IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, in December.
Fury’s promoters at Top Rank and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn are already getting excited about a massive undisputed clash for December.
For that fight to happen, Fury must beat Wilder, and Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) has to get past his WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk in August.
Again, this is another example of overconfidence on Team Fury and Team Joshua’s part in assuming their fighters will when their next fights.
“[Bob] Arum [Fury’s promoter] wants it in July because they believe Fury is just going to walk through Deontay, and then they can get that fight on with Joshua, provided he beats Usyk in the fall.
“We hope to disrupt the party,” said Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel to Sky Sports.


You would Fury and Joshua’s teams would have learned their lessons and chose not to look ahead, assuming that things will work out for them.
The worst thing that could happen now is if both Joshua and Fury lose their next fights, which could set up a situation where Wilder would then face Usyk for the undisputed championship in December.
“I can’t say, ‘It’s not going to happen.’ They deluded themselves. [Wilder’s advisor] Al [Haymon] and I just continued to press forward,” said Finkel about Fury’s team assuming they would win the arbitration case.
“You didn’t hear us in the papers; you didn’t hear us saying anything.
“Avoided all press. I just don’t get that kind of sureness that nothing could happen.”
In looking back at the arbitration case now, what in the world made Fury and Joshua’s management believe that they would ever win. You walk away from a contract with Wilder, and you believe you’re going to win? No way, it sounds crazy.