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    Dan RafaelESPN Senior Writer

Heavyweights Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz Jr., due to meet for a vacant world title on Dec. 10, will square off at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Parker’s home country, Duco Events announced on Monday.

The fight was ordered when Tyson Fury, who is dealing with drug, alcohol and mental health issues and is unavailable to defend his titles, vacated all of his belts in mid-October. Duco Events, Parker’s promoter, quickly reached an agreement with Top Rank, Ruiz’s promoter, to stage the bout in Auckland.

However, the company had problems lining up enough sponsorship partners to cover a share of the expenses for what is expected to be a massive event in New Zealand, leaving open the possibility that Top Rank would instead put on the fight in the United States or Mexico, Ruiz’s birth country, in January.

But on Monday, Duco Events announced it had secured sponsorship agreements with Burger King, television giant Sky, online gambling house TAB, and Gallagher, a global technology company.

“This is a huge sporting event, which I expect to unite the country in a similar fashion to the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup,” Duco Events CEO Martin Snedden said. “We are only able to host the event in Auckland because of the tremendous support from our sponsors who grasp just how big an occasion this will be for all New Zealanders.” Duco said the fight will be seen in more than 100 countries with a worldwide television audience of more than 100 million people.

The 24-year-old Parker (21-0, 18 KOs) was also a mandatory challenger for the belt held by England’s Anthony Joshua but elected to pursue the vacant title bout against Ruiz, in large part because the fight was being planned for his home country. Ruiz (29-0, 19 KOs), 27, who fights out of Imperial, California, would become the first Mexican heavyweight world titleholder in boxing history if he wins.