Hearn has Plan-B option for Dillian Whyte’s Dec.22 fight

Boxingnews24.com

By Scott Gilfoid: It looks like the Dillian Whyte vs. Dereck Chisora 2 rematch won’t be taking place on December 22 after all. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that the negotiations haven’t gone well between the two heavyweights, and they’re too far apart for the fight to have a realistic change of getting made for the 22nd of December at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Hearn says that Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs) still plans on fighting on that date, but he has a different fighter in mind. Hearn isn’t saying who that guy is, but it’s safe to say that it won’t be Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs). He’s the guy that the boxing public wants the 30-year-old Whyte to fight, but Hearn hasn’t shown any real enthusiasm about making that fight for some peculiar reason. When Hearn does talk about the Whyte v. Ortiz fight, his face has the look of someone that is talking about an unpleasant thing. It isn’t hard to see that Hearn simply doesn’t fancy the idea of letting Whyte face the dangerous Cuban southpaw. Hearn has already stated that Whyte is the #1 choice for IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to fight on April 13 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

“It’s happening, but I don’t think it’s Delboy. We’re out of the deal,”Hearn said to IFL TV about the Whyte vs. Chisora negotiations imploding. “I think Dillian Whyte will fight on December 22nd at the O2. We’re very close right now with making a deal for an opponent, and it’s not Chisora,” Hearn said.

What gives me the impression that Whyte is going to be fighting another dreadful journeyman level opponent is the way that Hearn isn’t giving any hints about who the Plan-B opponent will be for him. Normally when Hearn has a good Plan-B option, he smiles like the Cheshire Cat from ear to ear. In this case, Hearn isn’t smiling when he talks about Whyte potentially fighting someone else on December 22. Money seems to be the overiding concern for Hearn in finding an opponent that will accept what’s being offered. The problem is that the December 22 fight will be on Sky Box Office, which means that it’s at least somewhat important that Hearn find a live body for Whyte to fight instead of another fodder opponent like we’ve been seeing from him for the most part for the last three years.