Joshua’s fight with fury faces new hurdle

The winner of the second rematch between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will face a mandatory defence against Dillian Whyte, the WBC has confirmed.

Fury defeated Wilder in February this year, with the pair set for another high-profile bout in December.And the winner of that contest will face Brixton boxer Whyte, who takes on Russian Alexander Povetkin later this month in England, meaning a mouth-watering all-British clash is on the cards in early 2021.

It means the first of Fury’s two fights against Anthony Joshua is set to be pushed back further into 2021, according to Eddie Hearn. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told Sky Sports: ‘The WBC has reviewed every single weight category, considering the pandemic.

‘We have had the flexibility with our champions and the WBC has approved Fury to fight by the end of the year, if it’s announced that it might be December 19, and the winner must make the mandatory defence early next year.

‘When the (Fury-Wilder) fight takes place, we will order the pre-negotiations, so it’s a process that the promoters negotiate the fight and a date.

‘It makes no sense to speculate on a date, but it’s going to be early next year when they are able to negotiate, or it goes to a purse bid.’

A Fury-Whyte contest could mean several all-British bouts for the ‘Gypsy King’ in 2021, after the undefeated WBC champion agreed a two-fight deal with Watford-born boxer Joshua earlier this year.

While the date for the mandatory defence has not been confirmed, promoter Hearn claimed that February or March is a realistic estimate for the mandatory defence, one which Whyte could not turn down, thereby pushing back the Fury-Joshua bout.

Hearn said: ‘Dillian takes priority. [He] has to have that fight by the end of February, and if it goes into March, it goes into March.

‘Anthony Joshua is boxing in December. He won’t be ready to box again until June-July. Everybody acknowledges that’s the mandatory and that it’s next.’

Last week, Fury was named as the best heavyweight boxer in the world by Ring Magazine, overtaking Joshua at the top of the leaderboard. British boxer Whyte was named the third-best behind runner-up Joshua, with Wilder in fourth-place. Povetkin, Whyte’s next opponent, was ranked in sixth spot.
Culled from dailymail.co.uk