Dillian Whyte with few options for Dec.22 if Chisora fight isn’t made

By Tim Royner: Dillian Whyte is finding himself with fewer options by the day for his December 22 fight, as more of the top heavyweights dropping out of the running as his backup plan in case his promoter Eddie Hearn fails to make the rematch with Dereck Chisora. That’s the fight that Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs) and Hearn both want, but they are far apart from what the 35-year-old Chisora is asking for.

Whyte’s only real option for pay-per-view on December 22 is if he fights Luis Ortiz or Chisora. Anyone less than that isn’t a PPV worthy fight and is a complete waste of time for Whyte. The real question is whether Whyte is willing to give Chisora the money he’s asking for, because he’s the only true option he has for 11/22. Since Ortiz is too risky of a fight for Whyte to take, it leaves only Chisora. Whyte would probably take the fight with the former Cuban amateur star Ortiz if he didn’t have anything to lose if he was beaten by him. But Whyte has plenty to lose in a fight with Ortiz, starting with a big money rematch with Anthony Joshua on April 13. Whyte would also lose his high #1 ranking with the World Boxing Council, which would take him out of position to get a title shot against WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

If Whyte can’t get Chisora, Ortiz, Breazeale or Miller, it would be wise for him to cancel his December 22 fight, as he needs a fairly big name for him to attract the PPV buys o Sky Box Office. The only option available for Whyte now is Adam Kownacki for December 22, and that’s not exactly a PPV worthy fight.

As of now, the following heavyweights are no longer available to fight Whyte on December 22:

– Dominic Breazeale – fighting on Charlo’ undercard on December 22

– Jarrell Miller – scheduled for November 17 to fight TBS for vacant WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight title

– Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz – set to fight on Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury undercard on December 1

Whyte, 30, and his promoter Eddie Hearn are up against it anyway with them staging their Matchroom Sport fight card on Sky Box Office on the same night as the Carl Frampton vs. Josh Warrington fight. The only way Whyte attracts viewers on December 22 is if he fights a worthy contender that the boxing fans want to see. Kownacki isn’t going to do much. Even the played out Chisora might not be enough to get boxing fans interested in seeing Whyte and him face each other in a rematch. It would have been better for Hearn to have rescheduled the Whyte card for a later date in January or February rather than compete against all the tough competition on the 22nd of December. Hearn needs to start putting Whyte on his DAZN cards to increase his profile in the United States if his plan is to match him against Anthony Joshua on April 13, which is what many boxing fans believe will be the case.