WBC Interim heavyweight title holder Dillian Whyte has urged the Mexican-based sanctioning body to upgrade him to full champion so he can step in and fight Deontay Wilder, following Tyson Fury’s withdrawal after contracting Covid-19.
This week, WBC king Fury pulled out of a July 24 trilogy fight with Wilder after a Coronavirus outbreak in his camp and Whyte believes he should be instated as champion to keep the title active. Fury vs Wilder III has been tentatively rescheduled for early October, but remains clouded in doubt.
Londoner Whyte feels the sanctioning body should now elevate his status and order a mandatory bout against Wilder – with the winner facing Fury. As the long-time, No.1 ranked contender, the Brixton banger pursued Wilder for a couple of years when the Alabama puncher was WBC champion and remains keen to cement that elusive grudge match.
“This is why they have the Interim champion. When stuff like this happens and fights fall through and the champion is injured or can’t fight, or for whatever reason can’t defend the title, then the Interim champion steps up,” Whyte told Sky Sports.
“That’s how Wilder became champion in the first place. Remember Vitali Klitschko wasn’t able to defend the title, because he was in the process of becoming a mayor, and they made him Emeritus champion and made the other belt for [Bermane] Stiverne to fight [Chris] Arreola and then Wilder, so this is a similar kind of thing.
“Make me world champion, I’ll fight Wilder as a world champion and the winner of that fights Tyson Fury, and the winner of that fights Anthony Joshua for the undisputed. That is where everything is solved with one action.
“The only way Wilder will fight me is if I’m world champion. If the WBC makes me world champion and orders Wilder to fight me, we can fight. I’ve always tried to be the solution since the start of my career. I’ll fight anyone. I don’t care about all this politics. All I want to do is fight.
“Tyson Fury has held all the titles but has never made a single defence of any of them. It’s a year-and-a-half since he won the WBC belt and still no fight in sight. Just excuses. What the hell is going on? It’s a joke! The WBC should make Fury ‘Champion in Recess’ like they did Devin Haney, give me the belt, put me in the position and I’ll fight. I’ll fight all of these guys.
“I’ve fought and beaten more of the WBC Top 15 than Fury and Wilder put together. They should one hundred per cent do the right thing.”