Hearn says Wilder vs. Fury trilogy fight can’t happen

By Trevor McIntyre

Boxingnews24.com

Matchroom Promoter Eddie Hearn says there will be a “serious legal issue” if a reportedly talked about trilogy fight between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury goes ahead without Dillian Whyte getting a shot at the title. Whyte (25-1, 18 KOs) is facing Oscar Rivas (26-0, 18 KOs) next month on July 20th for the WBC interim and mandatory position.

Hearn certain about Whyte vs. Rivas being for WBC mandatory position

Eddie is certain about the mandatory spot being on the line for the Whyte-Rivas fight, but what he’s not certain about is how soon the winner of that fight can get a title shot. Hearn wants the title shot to be as soon as possible obviously. That can’t happen if Wilder and Fury fight each other in consecutive fights in 2020.

“There’s going to be a serious legal issue with Dillian Whyte if that’s the case, because Dillian Whyte is fighting Oscar Rivas, and that’s for the interim [WBC] world title, and the mandatory position,” said Hearn to IFL TV about the news of a third fight between Wilder and Fury having been agreed on. “But we want it [the WBC mandatory position for Whyte] next, and there will be a serious situation.”

Hearn says that they want the WBC to make the Whyte vs. Rivas winner to face Wilder. Fury is expected to face Wilder in early 2020. If they were to fight in a third contest immediately after that, then Whyte would have to wait until potentially 2021 for him to finally get a crack at the WBC title. It’s unclear how strong Whyte’s legal position would be if they were to press ahead in that direction if the WBC doesn’t order Wilder to defend against Dillian straightaway. the WBC wanted Whyte to fight for a secondary mandatory position against Luis Ortiz, but he didn’t take the fight.

Whyte might come unglued against Wilder

If Hearn gets his way with Whyte getting the title shot against Wilder, he could get blown out by the WBC champion. Whyte arguably matches up better against Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. than he does against Wilder. Joseph Parker put Whyte on the canvas after hitting him with a handful of shots in their fight last July in London. If Wilder hits Whyte with the shots that Parker did, it’ll be an early night. All this fuss that Whyte has made in trying to get a title shot against Wilder, it could be mistake.

“The offer from the WBC [for Whyte] is for the interim title, and for the mandatory position,” said Hearn. “It’s when that mandatory occurs. There will be a serious issue if that mandatory is not when we want that mandatory to be. It’s ongoing. Yes, it [Whyte vs. Rivas] will be [for the WBC mandatory position], provide we accept the resolution. That’s the offer right now. We’ve already moved on that position. Deontay Wilder must fight Dillian Whyte. He’s been #1 for 580 days. He still isn’t mandatory. We’ve got to make sure he gets what he deserves,” said Hearn.

It would be best for Whyte to improve a little before he tries to mix it up with Wilder. The way that Whyte gets hit, he’s going to have major issues with Wilder’s punching power. It’s the best use of Whyte for him to fight Wilder, and get destroyed. If Whyte is going to potentially lose to someone, it should be Joshua. Whyte obviously feels confident he can beat Wilder, but it’s not likely that he can. Parker showed how vulnerable Whyte is. Wilder isn’t going to be willing to face Whyte in London either. It’ll be in the U.S, and it’ll be tough for Dillian to try and win on the road.