Dillian Whyte has reportedly been handed a proposal that could see him reject the opportunity to fight Tyson Fury – but what would be the right move for the Body Snatcher?
As soon as Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder and retained the WBC heavyweight title in his trilogy bout with the former champion, the prospect of the Gyspy King stepping into the ring to fight compatriot Dillian Whyte began to be discussed.
Whyte is the mandatory challenger for Fury’s WBC belt and has been forced to wait several years, perhaps unfairly, for an opportunity to fight for a world title. This is the opportunity he has been so patiently waiting for.
However, despite Frank Warren and Tyson Fury being vocal with their claims that Whyte has been offered the fight, we have, at the time of writing, received no confirmation that the pair will be going toe-to-toe.
A report published by The Sun today could go some way to explaining why.
As is mentioned in the report, with Frank Warren having won the purse bids for Fury vs Whyte, Eddie Hearn has essentially been cut out of the equation, despite the Matchroom chief being Whyte’s promoter on a fight-by-fight basis.
As you could imagine, Hearn is not understood to be particularly pleased with his business interests losing a PPV draw like Dillian Whyte’s size. He has reportedly launched an attempt to keep him by his side.
The Sun claim that Hearn has made a lucrative proposal to Whyte, which is currently under consideration. The exact nature of it is not specified, but the outlet speculates that a rematch with Anthony Joshua and the Derek Chisora trilogy fight could be on the agenda.
Would it be worth Whyte’s time to reject the chance to fight Fury in favour of re-signing with Eddie?
Heavyweight remains the blockbuster division in the sport, that’s just a fact. To become a champion in this weight class signs and seals your position among the crème de la crème of boxing.
Whyte’s frustrations at not having fought for a world title by this point in his career have been well-documented. The assumption was that he would jump at the chance to take on Fury.
Of course, there is a real possibility that he’s outclassed and another loss is added to his record, but that is most definitely preferable to being remembered as a fighter who played it safe.
Whyte would understandably LOVE to avenge his 2015 defeat to Joshua. He’d LOVE to deal Chisora another beatdown.
The trouble is, neither of those two have a world title around their belt – and Fury does.
Warren and Fury are prepared to serve Whyte a world title shot on a silver platter and provide him with a healthy purse for his troubles. That is as good an offer as he can get, no matter what carrot Hearn dangles.