Tyson Fury Plans to 'Put Deontay Wilder to Bed' Ahead of Anthony Joshua Fights

Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury told ESPN's Joe Tessitore that he plans to "put Deontay Wilder to bed" ahead of a third fight against his opponent.

"I like to keep busy, I like to know what's coming up in my future. A lot of people think it's a big mistake to book fights in advance, but I never overlook an opponent," Fury said per Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook.

"I would never take Deontay Wilder lightly. I know what he holds in both hands and how much damage he can do. I'm going to train really, really hard for Deontay Wilder, put in a great performance, get him out of the way, put Deontay Wilder to bed, and move on."

Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed on Wednesday that Fury, the reigning WBC and lineal heavyweight champion, and Anthony Joshua, the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, "have agreed to the basics" on a pair of bouts in 2021 provided they get through their title defenses until then, per ESPN.

For Fury, that means a fight with Wilder, the details of which still need to be ironed out.

"It's set, but we're looking for the site. Will we be able to do it for the spectators, even partially, in the United States?" promoter Bob Arum said, per ESPN. "If not, can we do it with spectators in Macao or Australia? That's what we're exploring now."

Co-promoter Frank Warren said that match would likely occur by the end of 2020.

Fury fought to a draw with Wilder in their first fight before issuing a seventh-round TKO in February to stay undefeated.

Joshua sports a 23-1 professional record with 21 knockouts. He most recently defeated Andy Ruiz Jr. via unanimous decision last December to win back his heavyweight titles. Ruiz had beaten Joshua the previous June via seventh-round TKO.

Joshua was scheduled to fight mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev on June 20 in London, but that bout was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Per Marc Williams of talkSPORT, the bout is still scheduled to take place, but no date has been set.

The 31-year-old Fury is 30-0-1 for his professional career with 21 knockouts. He's also scheduled to fight mandatory WBC challenger and interim belt holder Dillian Whyte, per Keith Idec of Boxing Scene. The WBC had said that Fury had to give Whyte his title shot by February 2021.

Arum said, however, to PepTalk UK that he believes a mandatory fight should not prevent a blockbuster matchup such as Fury vs. Joshua.