JUST in case you thought there weren’t enough heavyweight world titlists, we’re going to get another one. The WBC have created an ‘Interim’ title and ordered Britain’s Dillian Whyte and America’s Dominic Breazeale to fight for it.
The WBC’s actual world heavyweight champion is Deontay Wilder, who is in negotiations for a rematch with Tyson Fury after their controversial draw last year.
The unified heavyweight champion is of course Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBO, IBF and WBA world titles. Negotiations to secure Whyte, for Joshua’s now cancelled April 13 fight date at Wembley stadium, stalled.
Whyte could still box in April, the 20th being floated as a possible alternative date for him. That would be a likely time for him to take on Breazeale, another former Joshua opponent, for this ‘Interim’ strap.
“What Dillian is doing is backing himself to get to that level, of Fury or Wilder just by continuing to build,” his promoter Eddie Hearn has previously said. “He believes in himself and is backing himself.”
“Where he’s gone from over the past year, from Lucas Browne onwards,” Hearn continued. “He’s now one of six names, really, in the heavyweight game: Joshua, Fury, Wilder, Whyte then [Luis] Ortiz, [Jarrell] Miller and maybe [Oleksandr] Usyk.
“Whyte is right up there – he’s definitely fourth in terms of profile. He has just decided to back himself to get to those levels but it’s very dangerous.”
The winner of this WBC ‘Interim’ strap will be in pole position, eventually, to challenge the Wilder-Fury winner. Whyte greeted the news of the potential Breazeale fight cheerfully tweeting: “Yeahhhhhhh boyyyyyyy awwwwww snapppppppp.”
Breazeale declared, “Since ‘Bronze Bomber’ continues to run, I’ll continue to keep fighting the fights he doesn’t want. Be ready Dillian Whyte because trouble is coming.”
