Former super-middleweight ruler Carl Froch says that Dillian Whyte should receive the chance to face WBC champion Tyson Fury before an undisputed heavyweight title showdown with Anthony Joshua in 2021.
WBC interim champion Whyte remains mandatory challenger to ‘The Gypsy King’, with the organisation’s president Mauricio Sulaiman previously stating that the Brixton man would obtain his title shot early next year.
Fury is contracted to face Deontay Wilder for a third time, with the fight tentatively scheduled for December 19, while WBA Super, WBO and IBF title-holder Joshua is still expected to meet IBF mandatory contender Kubrat Pulev on a date to be confirmed. Both obligations have been delayed by the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The rival world heavyweight champions still appear on a collision course for unification in 2021 though Froch believes that Whyte should still be first in line for Fury.
“For Eddie Hearn, the promoter, and the TV broadcasters, Anthony Joshua is a bigger name in terms of crossover fans – so he’s obviously the bigger star. More people have heard of Anthony Joshua – a lot more people than Dillian Whyte, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Dillian Whyte would give equally as tough a fight to Fury as Joshua would,” ‘The Cobra’ said on the Froch on Fighting podcast.
“Joshua and Whyte both pose their own threats to Fury in their own ways. Whyte’s waited his time, he’s WBC mandatory. When Fury beats Wilder, if he beats Wilder, he’s got to defend his WBC [title] against Dillian Whyte, because it’s the fair and right thing to do and he’s been waiting so long – people do want to see that happen.
“It’s a great fight, I’d love to see Dillian Whyte take on Tyson Fury, but equally I’d love to see Anthony Joshua take on Tyson Fury. Who deserves the shot more? Whyte, most definitely. Whyte’s had a great run of opponents.
“He’s got better and better as he’s gone through the rankings and fought the people he’s fought to get where he is. We want to see it, it’s just financially and commercially [this] is what boxing’s all about, [the] bottom line stops with the money. The AJ fight makes more sense for everybody involved.”