British former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has agreed terms to fight Sweden’s Otto Wallin.
Fury, 30, looks set to compete in Las Vegas for his second consecutive fight after his impressive stoppage win over Tom Schwarz in June.
The bout has not been officially confirmed but has been slated to take place on 14 September.
Wallin, a 6ft 5in southpaw, has 20 wins, 13 via knockout, and one no contest on his record.
This will be Fury’s second bout on his lucrative contract with ESPN and he will be a heavy favourite against an opponent who has not mixed in the same class.
But managing risk while again showcasing Fury to an American television audience was always likely to be a balance struck given a win could pave the way for a highly lucrative rematch with WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in early 2020.
Former IBF, WBA and WBO world champion Fury is currently in a training camp in Marbella.
Of boxing’s four major global sanctioning bodies, IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC, Wallin is ranked fourth in by the WBA and 11th by the IBF.
His last bout in April was judged a no contest when an accidental first-round head clash with Nick Kisner left the American cut and unable to continue.
The bout in Atlantic City was the first Wallin had contested outside of Europe. Facing Fury in Las Vegas will prove an altogether different spectacle with a dramatic peak in interest and pre-fight media demands.
Fury, who has 28 wins and a draw to his name – was initially expected to have a prompt rematch Wilder following their thrilling draw in Los Angeles in December.
But his decision to sign a multi-fight deal with ESPN left him and Wilder on rival broadcast networks, a move which was expected to complicate negotiations.
Fury told Tidesports source leading up to his Schwarz bout that Wilder no longer responds to his text messages but in the weeks after the bout he stated an agreement was in place for the pair to meet again on 22 February, assuming both come through matches in the interim.
Promoter Bob Arum, whose Top Rank organisation work with Fury in the US, has repeatedly expressed his desire to build the Briton’s profile in the country in the early stages of his ESPN deal, heightening demand and earning potential for any Wilder bout in the process.
Perhaps the person to be most satisfied with the way things have played out will be Fury’s trainer Ben Davison, who oversaw his dramatic 10st weight loss before taking on Wilder first time around.
Davison was one of few voices who said he would prefer Fury did not jump into an immediate rematch with the WBC champion and instead wanted his fighter to work on shaking off ring rust given he had been inactive from November 2015 to June of 2018.