Dillian Whyte just one win away from challenging the Fury vs Wilder victor

Dillian Whyte heavyweight

DILLIAN WHYTEโ€™S path to the WBCโ€™s heavyweight belt and the winner of Saturdayโ€™s Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder clash has been opened.

Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC president, told Boxing News that: โ€œThe WBC has reviewed the complete heavyweight situation and the winner of Saturday night will be allowed one month to try to secure the ultimate unification for the undisputed [crown with Oleksandr Usyk]. If that does not happen then the winner has to fight the mandatory, which is the interim champion. Dillian Whyte is fighting [Otto Wallin for it] on October 30 so we will see.โ€

Itโ€™s the green light Whyte has been waiting on for a long time. โ€œUnfortunately for Dillian, he was knocked out by [Alexander] Povetkin when he was mandatory at that time. He lost by knockout. He had an issue with UKAD in the past. Itโ€™s been bad luck for him but he [might be] soon fighting for the title,โ€ Sulaiman said. โ€œWe are very proud of our champions and the administration of the championships, itโ€™s very important and weโ€™re moving and weโ€™re happy with what we got.โ€

Heavyweight boxing is inherently unpredictable. Wallin is no easy fight for Whyte, while Wilder, as long as he is in the bout, is going to pose a constant threat to Fury with his one-punch power. Frank Warren, who co-promotes Tyson, is confident though in his man. โ€œHeโ€™s tremendously fit. Looks well, mentally well, so hopefully heโ€™ll do the business. Heโ€™ll stop himโ€ฆ The only way he [Wilder] can win this fight is to go and jump on him. He ainโ€™t going to outbox him, no matter what Malik Scott says. So if he goes to take the fight to [Fury], which I think heโ€™ll do, if he does that – what [Anthony] Joshua didnโ€™t do against Usyk – if he does that then youโ€™re going to get a shootout. Somebody will go. And Tysonโ€™s got the better chin,โ€ Warren warned.

If Whyte and Fury come through their respective clashes, they would certainly make for an appealing all-British heavyweight showdown. โ€œA big fight in the UK, Whyteโ€™s perfect for Tyson. Perfect for himโ€ฆ Wherever it is, a fightโ€™s a fight. There are some good fights to be made,โ€ the promoter said. โ€œThereโ€™s plenty of fights. Usykโ€™s a big fight, thatโ€™s a great fight. Two similar guys, great fight, Iโ€™d buy a ticket.โ€

The Fury-Wilder winner will have no shortage of options. In fact Warren urges Anthony Joshua to resist rematching Usyk and instead go straight into a bout with Fury. โ€œ[The WBC] may give us a month to try and make the fight with Usyk, that wonโ€™t happen because heโ€™s got his rematch. If I was Joshua I wouldnโ€™t go for the rematch,โ€ Warren said. โ€œI think he should still make the [Fury] fight. Walk away from the Usyk fight. If itโ€™s up to him to call the fight, then I would say forget that. Make the fight with Tyson. People would buy into that still in the UK.

โ€œ[Joshua] wasnโ€™t imposing himself on him. The bigger guy wasnโ€™t using all his physical attributes. What he was doing was letting a littler guy dominate the fight behind his jab and a big fella like that, he should be keeping him on the end of his jab and he wasnโ€™t. [Usyk] wasnโ€™t even getting underneath him. He was outjabbing him. He was standing his ground with him without jabbing him. It didnโ€™t make any sense.”

โ€œWhere was the devil in him? Where did he show any dominance in that fight?โ€ Warren added of Joshua. โ€œIf he loses to Usyk again heโ€™s finished. His bubbleโ€™s well and truly burst.”

Whyte is now one win away from the big fight he craves, Joshua one win away from redemption, Wilder one win away from revenge, while Fury might just be one win away from home. The heavyweight division today is many things but never dull.

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