An all-British fight could take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in March
Tyson Fury’s next defence of the World Boxing Council heavyweight title is likely to be ordered on Tuesday to be against Dillian Whyte, yet there is no guarantee he will decide to defend the crown against his British rival.
On an extended holiday after his rousing victory over Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas last month, Fury, undefeated in 32 contests, and a two-time heavyweight champion, is yet to declare any real go-ahead for the fight. But it is in the frame. As is discussion about a contest with Joe Joyce.
Whyte, injured but back in training by next month, is already gearing up for what would be the most important fight of his career. If the contest is signed, and takes place in March, outside the United States, it could be viable in a huge stadium such as the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with its retractable roof.
But will Fury take the fight, even if he is ordered to by the WBC sanctioning body, and potentially be considered as a WBC franchise champion? That was introduced in 2019 as an honorary title awarded to dominant champions who have represented the body. It allows them to step away and bide time. As Fury said in Las Vegas post-battle last month: “What more have I got to prove?”
Last week, Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC, spoke from Puerto Rico where he had been at a convention with the presidents of the three other most prominent sanctioning bodies, the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation. They have not always seen eye to eye.
“The gloves were never on,” Sulaiman insisted. “It was a very friendly, respectful meeting, all cards on the table meeting. I’m very happy and excited about things. We had a very positive meeting and I’m very excited. I’m looking at things that are very good for the sport. I’m certain we will come up with good plans for the future.”
Sulaiman added: “One of the keys is the goal of having unified champions, undisputed champions. The public always cries out loud wishing to have one champion per division. We have Josh Taylor, we have Teofimo Lopez and most likely an undisputed champion in Canelo-Plant. We want to see unification fights and one champion per division. But we have to address what happens with the mandatories. We have some ideas that we are working on.”
But will the belts become one at heavyweight? The race to the undisputed title rests with Fury’s decision now, as victorious Oleksandr Usyk is set for a rematch for the IBF, WBA and WBO belts “sometime in March/April in the UK”, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
The soonest an undisputed title fight could happen would be late next summer, and the Fury-Whyte, Usyk-Joshua winners would be in line for an enormous contest. Sulaiman clearly wants Fury and Whyte as its next venture for the heavyweight belt. “I’m very proud of Fury to be our champion. He represents us as the WBC champion. He does a lot of charity work, the loyalty he shows is humbling.” Heavyweight boxing deserves another major fight, with plenty of drama, and soon.