Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte has called on promoter Eddie Hearn to finalise plans for his return to the ring, with a rumoured domestic showdown with unified champion Anthony Joshua still reportedly no closer to being made.
Whyte, who was last seen in action when scoring a devastating eleventh round knockout of bitter rival Dereck Chisora in December, has been linked with a second crack at divisional kingpin Joshua after suffering his sole career loss to the WBA/WBO/IBF champion in December 2016.
However, according to Whyte, a return match with ‘AJ’ is still far from a formality, with the Brixton man insisting he is yet to hear from Eddie Hearn with regards to an April showdown at Wembley.
“I don’t know what’s going on, I expected him and his team or Eddie Hearn to at least contact me.” said Whyte to iFL TV.
“I’m not meeting Eddie until another two weeks or something, so I don’t know what’s going on.
“That’s not enough time to prepare for a fight like that. You need to know what’s going on so you start preparing from now.”
With Joshua also rumoured to be entertaining a potential American debut against New Yorker Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller at Madison Square Garden, Whyte vented his frustrations at having to sit on the sidelines while the promotional politics work themselves out.
“I need to know what I’m doing now, why at the end of this month?” he said.
“What am I gonna do, sit around and wait? No, I need to know what’s going on so I can start preparing.
“These kind of fights, you need to prepare three, four months for. You need to know what you’re doing in advance and do proper drug testing.”
Since suffering defeat at the hands of Joshua – a seventh round stoppage loss for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles – Whyte has rebuilt with nine consecutive victories, including a host of wins over some of the heavyweight division’s leading contenders.
In 2018 alone ‘The Bodysnatcher’ scored a stoppage victory over former WBA champion Lucas Browne, a thrilling decision win over former WBO beltholder Joseph Parker and a spectacular one-punch knockout of long-time rival Dereck Chisora – with the latter two bouts headlining pay-per-view cards in the U.K.
It is this rich vein of form that has seen Whyte propel himself into one of the most valuable commodities in the sport’s marquee division: and it is a fact that is not lost on the 30-year-old should a money-spinning bout with Joshua present itself.
“I am sensible, I know what value I bring to the fight.” said Whyte.
“As long as they are sensible then the fight can happen. I’m not a mug. I’ve worked hard to get where I’ve got to, and I’ve grafted and got my way up.”
It remains to be seen whether Whyte will indeed face Joshua in April. Having held a lofty position with the WBC for the last eighteen months, he has also courted WBC champion Deontay Wilder and has voiced his interest for a potential final eliminator with current mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale.
While Whyte’s next move remains to be seen, it is clear that the Londoner is keen for a solution sooner rather than later.
Watch this space…