Staples Center confirmed as venue for Wilder v Fury bout

[September 28, 2018]  (Reuters) - WBC champion Deontay Wilder's heavyweight title defense against Britain's Tyson Fury will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The venue for the Dec. 1 bout was announced by Showtime Boxing, who will air the fight in the United States, on Twitter on Thursday.

The 21,000-seat venue is home to both the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers in the NBA.

Both boxers tweeted to confirm the bout, with former world champion Fury describing the contest as the "biggest heavyweight fight in modern day boxing history" on social media.

The fight will be 30-year-old Fury's third since he made his comeback from a two-and-half-year absence from the ring with a fourth-round stoppage of Sefer Seferi in June.

Wilder (40-0) and Fury (27-0) boast unbeaten records and the winner of their bout will be in prime position to take on WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion Anthony Joshua.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder in the ring after the fight. Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo

Negotiations between Briton Joshua and Wilder for a fight at Wembley in April 2019 to unify the heavyweight title broke down earlier this year.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)

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