Published during weekdays on Boxing Social, the incomparable Terry Dooley delivers his unique look at the boxing news.
Dillian Whyte is moving beyond Otto Wallin and will instead wait on a fight with Tyson Fury. Whyte and Wallin were due to meet at London’s O2 on Saturday, but, as predicted by some sceptics, Whyte pulled out of the fight due to an injury and now expects Tyson Fury to defend his WBC heavyweight title against him next.
The Wallin fight was supposed to be a tools-sharpener before WBC Interim belt holder Whyte meets Fury, but the injury has drawn a line under it as Whyte has said he would have knocked Wallin out in the middle rounds anyway and will now expect to face Fury next rather than meeting the man who fought, cut and gave Fury a very tough fight. Wallin being frozen out for giving the consensus best heavyweight in the world a decent fight is the most boxing thing that could happen in heavyweight boxing.
Fury beat Deontay Wilder for the second time earlier this month and many, Whyte excluded, expect him to wait for the winner of Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Whyte, though, has told BBC 5 Live that his injury is completely legitimate and that he expects Fury to add to his own heavyweight legacy by annexing the WBC’s Interim belt to his full one. If Fury does not fight Whyte, there will be all hell to pay, according to Whyte at least.
“That’ll be the plan (to fight Fury),” he said. “It’s Wallin or Fury next. Of course, Wallin is going to be upset. He’s spent money he thought he was going to earn. Many times, I’ve had fights fall through, you can’t be upset.
“This is an investment in your career and your future. I see why he’s upset. Some fighters don’t dodge fights, some fighters don’t pull out of fights. But in that time, if a potential better opportunity comes up, I’ve been waiting to fight for the world title. I’m not going to put it off to fight Otto Wallin.”
Since making the statement above, Whyte also told the BBC that the Wallin fight is no longer an option and that he is putting Fury on notice. Either Fury fights him next or…well, there is no or, if we’re being honest here. If Fury doesn’t fight Whyte, the Londoner will have to ask the WBC to elevate him to full titlist and then select someone beatable for a first defence given that he was knocked out by Alexander Povetkin the first time he made an attempt to defend his spurious title.
Still, Whyte has been thrown a bone of sorts by Fury’s promoter Bob Arum, who has said that Tyson might fight in the UK next and that Whyte is on the list as long as he fulfils the commitment he made to fight Wallin. The winner of Whyte-Wallin would have led to a mandatory shot at the real WBC title, so, if Arum sticks to his guns, Whyte might have to reconsider the Wallin fight. Bang goes Fury-Whyte in March.
“I would say probably March,” Arum said when asked by Blood Sports TV when Fury will fight next. We all know that it is unlikely to be in March, but we are all part of the same hypocrisy so should listen to what Arum had to say next, as he’s in a truth telling mood today. Or was it yesterday? However, I disgress.
“Dillian Whyte is not the mandatory, and that’s what the WBC hasn’t done,” be added. “Dillian Whyte has an obligation to fight Wallin, and we’ll see. But again, in March, I’d like Tyson Fury to fight in the UK, and I would think among the opponents would be Dillian Whyte or maybe this big English guy, Joe Joyce.”
This leaves Whyte either a few months to reschedule the Wallin fight or to instruct his lawyers to try to win the full title where it really matters, in the courtroom or the WBC’s boardroom.
On the other hand, Whyte could be boosted by the claim from Paris Fury, Tyson’s wife, that her husband has got a few more years left in him, which is the amount of time that it could take for him and Whyte to thrash out a deal.
Paris has told talkSPORT that: “He’s 33 now — I think maybe until he’s 35. I know Wladimir and other men have gone on to being like 40, but do you keep going until you lose? I don’t know, I wouldn’t like to see that for Tyson. I wouldn’t like him to keep going and there’s always gonna be someone come up who’s younger and fresher if you are over the hill, too far gone.”
“I just think maybe another two or three years and then Tyson should definitely hang up his gloves,” she added.