It seems to be the year of the heavyweights as some big contests between the top contenders are targeted – the latest being a return to an old rivalry for Dillian Whyte.
Whyte was scheduled to face Otto Wallin in 2021, but pulled out of the bout with a shoulder injury. Not long after, he was mandated to fight for Tyson Fury’s WBC belt, and the Swedish southpaw was left out in the cold.
At the time, Wallin was disappointed, and believed that Whyte was strategically avoiding their fight to wait it out for his title shot. He told SunSport that he was disappointed.
“I’m not impressed with him and I’m still upset with him from the last time we were going to fight.”
“I was ready for that fight, I was going to beat him and earn another shot at fighting Tyson Fury again only for him to pull out from an injury he never really proved.
I would love to fight him and teach him a really good lesson in there.”
It seems that this year Wallin may get his wish. Mike Coppinger of ESPN has reported via manager Dmitry Salita that the fight is now being explored for April.
A heavyweight fight between Dillian Whyte and Otto Wallin is being explored for April, promoter Dmitry Salita tells ESPN. The bout was originally set for Halloween 2021 before Whyte withdrew from the bout with an injury. Simply at exploration stage between Salita and Matchroom.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 20, 2023
This presumably confirms that the Swede – who is best known on British shores for cutting Tyson Fury on the way to a decision loss – is out of the running to fight Anthony Joshua on April 1.
Whyte has been rumoured to face ‘AJ’ in the summer, and the Wallin bout, if made, presents a potential danger to that payday and spectacle.
With Joe Joyce recently announced to face Zhilei Zhang, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk gearing up for an undisputed bout, and the return of Joshua and Deontay Wilder, 2023 is the year of the big men making big moves.