Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury hopes United States President Joe Biden opts to relent on a stance of no British citizens allowed to travel from the UK, in time for his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder.
The pair are set to meet for the third time on Saturday night, with the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas hosting the bout - but the chances of a repeat of Fury’s post-fight victory parade down the Strip two years ago are rather lessened by the US’s travel guidelines, which are not currently set to be relaxed until November to allow fully vaccinated foreign citizens into the country more freely.
However, Fury is remaining optimistic that the President uses his office to allow an exemption, given fans coming over in their droves would be a boost to the economy around the fight.
“I’ve still got my fingers crossed that at the last minute President Biden will open the borders to my supporters. I’ve been putting the pressure on for the Brits to be allowed to invade Las Vegas again and make it like my second fight with Wilder,” he said, per the Mail.
“This trilogy fight is huge. The first in the heavyweights since Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe, with only Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier before that in modern times. To hold one of the biggest sports events of recent years without the Brits here is crazy.
“The fans also love travelling abroad. They are gagging to come here. They will flock over even if they just get a three-day pass which would let them fly over this Friday, lap up the fight Saturday night and go home Sunday.”
Fury has not fought since early 2020, when he stopped Wilder in the seventh round.
Quite aside from the prospect of partying with his fans after the battle in the ring is all over, the Gypsy King - who has promised his opponent “won’t last anywhere near seven rounds” this time - wants Wilder to feel intimidated by the levels of support for a fighter not on home soil.
“I had seventeen-and-a-half thousand cheering for me in the MGM Grand Garden Arena and more than 18,000 at the weigh-in. How bad do you think that made Wilder feel, as an American in Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, boxing in his own country and everyone’s screaming ‘there’s only one Tyson Fury’?
“Imagine how bad I would feel if I was boxing the Bronze Bomber in England and everyone was shouting for him? In his case he might as well have been fighting me at Wembley. It was amazing but Vegas may not see the like of it again in a long time. Unless Mr Biden opens the doors to us.”
