HOW LONG FOR WHYTE TO WAIT?

Whilst the prospect of an undisputed heavyweight matchup is murmured on the lips of fight fans as they speculate what the future of boxing holds, other boxers who have proven their worth patiently sit at the top of the ladder waiting for the chance of a career versus the two reigning champions. Arguably the most patient in this situation is Dillian Whyte, who has held his number one spot in the WBC rankings since 2017. And even now, a title shot is out of the question for ‘The Body Snatcher’ this year given the combination of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury having fights already scheduled and the ongoing Coronavirus postponing future events.

Whyte has put together a commendable resume boasting wins over world class opponents such as Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora, thus making him a fan favourite in Britain. These fans are quick to remind the WBC that he has been at the top spot for over two years. Devoid of public opinion though, this has not meant that he has been mandatory for so long, something WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman addressed on The Black Eye Barber Shop Show. He stated “Dillian Whyte was never mandatory contender until he defeated Oscar Rivas” a fight that took place merely a year ago for the interim title.

Before the global virus started effecting event dates, ‘The Body Snatcher’ was set to defend this title against Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin, a boxer who has had the privilege to give Joshua a run for his money at world level. A testing fight that, if he won, would certainly have him included into world title talks.

READ: LATEST HEAYWEIGHT ROUNDUP

Whyte spoke exclusively to Boxing Guru to lay down his ideal schedule for this year and the following.

“We’ll fight Povetkin, KO him, then fight Tyson Fury for the WBC. Then I’ll fight AJ next year for all the belts in the biggest all Brit heavyweight title fight of all time, beat him, then relax.”

The optimism radiates off ‘The Body Snatcher’ but his hopeful timetable could turn out to be far from inaccurate as the intention to include him into world title plans has been expressed by Sulaiman. He stated on the aforementioned show that his mandatory contender will face the winner of the trilogy between current WBC champion Fury and Deontay Wilder, which will be complicated if the latter is brushed aside for a unification clash with Joshua. That, however, is still up in the air and the heavyweight champions still have contracted fights they have signed up for. These said fights are looking to be scheduled for later this year, which is timed perfectly for Whyte as he is confirmed by the WBC for a title challenge as mandatory contender by the end of February next year. Consequently, landing himself a fight for a world belt before his 33rd birthday in April.

Boxing fans may feel slightly conflicted as the majority want Whyte to get his long awaited title fight as soon as possible but at the same time will be chomping at the bit to lay witness to an undisputed fight which hasn’t happened in the division since 1999.

Being in the position of mandatory contender, it is a matter of when not if for the Jamaican born brit to fight for what every boxer dreams of. Given Fury retains his title, both boxer’s ‘whoever, whenever, wherever’ mentalities may mean we get the fight sooner rather than later and Whyte can end a frustrating streak of fighting for everything but the world title.
______________________________

Max Taylor articles