Bearing in mind Top Rank / ESPN will want a return on investment: 1. Bryant Jennings 2. Deontay Wilder rematch 3. Position vacant (Joseph Parker should be lobbying for this spot - it beats going the Usyk route) 4. Deontay Wilder rubber match (this will be negotiated as part of the deal for fight 2). 5. AJ
No way he fights Wilder so soon. That will be his last fight. If gets beat by Wilder so soon they make a big loss on their investment.
Not if there's a rubber match clause in the contract for the second fight. In negotiating the second fight, they do a deal for a third in the event that Fury loses. Wilder would have been insisting on a rubber match clause in the event he lost, so an equivalent provision in Fury's favour will come as no surprise. The only difference this time around is that Fury may not be inclined to accommodate a reciprocal clause for Wilder. That is to say, if Fury wins the second fight, it may be adios to Wilder rather than fighting him a third time. It's issues like this that would have precipitated the move to ESPN.
I think ESPN is fine sitting back and letting Fury fight 3 times this year vs decent opponents. Let America soak up his personality/story. Let Wilder and AJ fight for undisputed on DAZN (Hear and DAZN going throw huge money at Wilder. Need to make a splash and AJ-Wilder for undisputed will do the trick.) Then get the winner on ESPN. Think that's the plan and I'm ok with it. Dying to see Wilder-AJ for undisputed.
If there's a bloke running around calling himself "lineal", Wilder v AJ isn't for "undisputed". It's for unified alphabet. The road to undisputed goes through Fury.