What time is the Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder fight on TV and how to watch?
The WBC heavyweight belt will be decided on Saturday 1st December. Here's everything you need to know...
British lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury takes on the WBC American champion Deontay Wilder in what is expected to be the heavyweight title fight of the year. Both heavyweight fighters go into the contest unbeaten, with Wilder’s professional record standing at 40 fights and 40 wins (39 by KO), whilst Fury’s has won 27 out of 27 fights (19 by KO).
When is the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder fight?
The mouth-watering occasion takes place on Saturday night, December 1, 2018 (but if you’re watching in the UK, it will be taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning (December 2nd) because of the time difference).
The fighters are expected to make their ring walk between 4am - 5am (GMT).
Where is it taking place?
The fight will get underway at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles (USA).
With a capacity of 21,000, the multi-purpose arena previously hosted British heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis’ last professional boxing match against Vitali Klitschko, and is also home to the NBA’s LA Lakers and LA Clippers.
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How can I watch and stream the Fury vs Wilder fight? What channel is it on?
In the UK, the heavyweight fight will aired live on BT Sport Box Office, which is available across BT TV, Sky and Virgin Media – costing viewers £19.95.
In the US, the bout will be broadcast on Showtime on their pay-per-view service.
For full details about how to watch or stream the fight, see the BT Sport Box Office event details here.
What have Fury and Wilder said in the build up to the fight?
Both fighters are notoriously charismatic and outspoken characters in the world of boxing at the moment, so it’s no surprise they have had some colourful words to say about each other in the build up to the fight.
Fury, who has battled mental health issues over the last two years, and recently lost 10 stone of weight to get fit for the clash, has said “It’s going to be a hell of a fight”.
“Deontay Wilder is a massive puncher. Me, a skilful boxer. It's going to be an epic night. This is a legacy fight ... and after I win, he's going to hire me as his publicist because I do believe I can promote Deontay Wilder back to being heavyweight champion of the world in no time.”
And at the recent fight press conference, the two fighters had a heated altercation, which nearly ended with an early display of what’s to come on Saturday night. Fury stating that he believes "Wilder's nervous; he felt he needed to scream and shout and make threats”, further stating “we're not afraid of anyone, if you want to fight on the street or the stage that's fine, but we're here to do a job for sport and be professional".
Wilder on the other hand, said "If Fury's team think all that stuff was a sign of weakness then I cannot wait to show them strength on Saturday. They know it was not weakness; they just needed something to say.
"I'm not afraid to lose my unbeaten record. We all want to stay undefeated but I do not dwell on it. I can lose and comeback. Look at (Muhammad) Ali and others who lost and came back.”
In previous discussions, Wilder has been complimentary of his boxing counterpart, saying "He's great for the heavyweight division,”.
"He's charismatic. He can talk. I've got a great dancing partner. He's fearless in the ring, and he's got a background of boxing in his blood. It's good that he's from another country so you get to see different cultures, different personalities from the two of us.”
