LONDON (AP) — Tyson Fury will defend his WBC heavyweight title against fellow Briton Derek Chisora in London on Dec. 3.
It will be the unbeaten Fury’s first fight since knocking out another British heavyweight, Dillian Whyte, in front of 94,000 spectators at London’s Wembley Stadium in April — after which Fury said he was retiring.
Fury has been enticed back into the ring, initially hoping to take on Oleksandr Usyk — the holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF belts — for the undisputed championship or yet another Briton in Anthony Joshua.
He has turned to Chisora, who he has already beaten twice — by unanimous decision in 2011 to claim the British and Commonwealth titles and then after Chisora’s 10th-round retirement in 2014.
The latest fight will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Usyk beat Joshua last year.
Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, said Usyk has already been lined up for his fighter in 2023.
“Tyson can’t afford any slip-up in this fight,” Warren said, “as he has the much-publicized undisputed matchup with Usyk in the new year which we’re really looking forward to.”
Tottenham’s stadium is free to stage the fight because the Premier League is paused for more than a month before Christmas to accommodate the World Cup.
Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs) has challenged for the heavyweight title once before, in 2012 when he lost to Vitali Klitschko in Munich via a unanimous decision.
He is coming off a win on points over Kubrat Pulev in July, which followed back-to-back losses to Joseph Parker.
Fury has won 32 of his 33 professional fights, drawing the other against Deontay Wilder in the first bout of their trilogy.
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