Tyson Fury says his highly anticipated rematch against world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will take place on February 22 next year.
The previous bout between the undefeated pair in Los Angeles late last year ended in a controversial draw.
It was Briton Fury’s third fight of the year following more than two years away from boxing after his world title victory over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.
“The Wilder rematch has been confirmed and signed,” said Fury, who was speaking at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, UK, Sunday.
“This time I haven’t been out the ring for a year. This time, I haven’t been abusing too much alcohol, and this time I’m going to knock him the f*** out.”
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The 30-year-old Fury, who stopped German Tom Schwartz in the second round last month, has spoken openly about the mental health battles that forced him to take a prolonged absence from boxing after defeating Ukraine’s Klitschko.
He went into last December’s fight against Wilder, the WBC heavyweight champion, as an underdog, but was left feeling aggrieved not to have won despite being knocked down twice in the ninth and 12th rounds.
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A spokesperson for Wilder’s promoter Al Haymon said: “All I know is there’s a signed contract for the rematch.
“I’m not aware that a definitive date has been set yet. As of now there still isn’t a definitive date for Wilder-Ortiz rematch.”
There’s been no shortage of recent drama in boxing’s heavyweight division following Anthony Joshua’s shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr. last month, a fight which saw Ruiz inherit the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles.
That loss heavily dented Joshua’s reputation, a previously undefeated fighter who was expected to face either Wilder or Fury – the best fighters in the heavyweight division.
Wilder, who beat Dominic Breazeale in New York in May, will next face Cuba’s Luiz Ortiz in a rematch of their 2018 fight.
