Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn has warned WBC champion, Tyson Fury, that Dillian Whyte could move on to face Anthony Joshua if he, Fury, does not decide to defend his title. If that happens, Fury would be given a sanction and Whyte would be declared the WBC champion without having thrown a punch.
Fury was billed to face Joshua, after defeating Deontay Wilder earlier this year, for a unification match as Fury has 1 belt and Joshua has 3. But before Fury can face Joshua, he would have to fight a trilogy match against Wilder, who asked for a rematch after losing his title. This makes the fact that Fury would eventually face Joshua very shaky since Wilder could win the match, although the chances are quite low. But the matter only gets complicated.
For Fury to eventually face Joshua, he would have to beat Whyte, who is aiming for the WBC belt and Fury would rather not meet Whyte or would only face him after fighting Joshua, because it would be more profitable to face Joshua rather than Whyte. That is what Hearn, who is the promoter for both Joshua and Whyte, is trying to avoid.
He spoke with Sky Sports News, saying, “Looking at the bigger undisputed picture, all Joshua wants is the WBC title. He was never worried if it came against Wilder or Fury. Whoever! Whoever owns that belt is who Joshua will face for the undisputed championship. We know the winner of Saturday’s fight will be ordered to face the winner of Fury vs Wilder. If Fury does not want to fight Whyte, then Whyte will be elevated to champion from interim champion. Now I do not like that. But what will happen? Joshua will fight Whyte straight away for the undisputed championship.”
Whyte would be facing Alexander Povetkin this Saturday and the winner of the fixture would face the winner of the Fury vs. Wilder match. It all looks like a game of probability, but the WBC has already mandated that whoever wins that fight gets to contest for the WBC belt from whoever wins the Fury-Wilder bout.
Written by: Leon Osamor