Tyson Fury's eagerly anticipated heavyweight clash with WBC champion Deontay Wilder was confirmed after the Briton defeated Francesco Pianeta on Saturday (August 18).
Wilder was ringside at Windsor Park as Fury fought on the undercard for Carl Frampton versus Luke Jackson, with a dominant 100-90 points win secured before the expected announcement was made in the ring.
The American had seemingly been set to take on Anthony Joshua before negotiations broke down and Fury stepped up.
According to Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, the two fighters agreed to a 50-50 deal.
"[It's a] 50-50 [purse split[, quick and smooth negotiations. He was the world heavyweight champion. He's undefeated. [Wilder and his team] understand that. All of the terms are agreed," Fury's promoter told BBC Radio 5 live.
"We're working at the moment on the date and the venue. We have another unification match with Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton and we don't want a clash on those two dates. One of those fights will be in November, and one will be in December."
After claims from Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn that Wilder's camp refused to cooperate properly during early discussions for a unification bout with Anthony Joshua, Warren insisted that he had no such problem.
Warren promised that details will follow next week, but Fury appeared to give away the location as Las Vegas.
"When we get to Vegas, I'm knocking you the f*** out," he told Wilder.
The still unbeaten Fury had entered the ring to 'Sweet Home Alabama', an apparent reference to Wilder's birthplace, as his rival sang along and recorded the event on his phone.
Once the action got underway, Fury invited Pianeta on and boxed with a focus that was perhaps missing last time out, displaying little of the distracting showmanship seen against Sefer Seferi in his comeback bout.
With neither fighter doing any real damage, Fury maintained control of proceedings and finally landed a heavy left to the body in the seventh round. Pianeta was given time to recover, with the shot deemed a low blow, but he started to show signs of struggle and any threat to his esteemed opponent waned, jeers greeting the end of the 10th and final round before Wilder took centre stage.