Eddie Hearn doubts injured Deontay Wilder will be ready to face Fury this year

By Boxing News - 06/01/2020 - Comments

By Tim Royner: Tyson Fury’s WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte should get his title shot in 2020 if Deontay Wilder isn’t healthy enough to take the fight this year. The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) recently had surgery on his right bicep, and it’s unknown whether he’ll be able to return to the ring in 2020.

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, who also promotes Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs), wants him to get a title shot against Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) this year if Wilder’s bicep problem keeps him from fighting. But even if it doesn’t keep him from fighting, Hearn STILL wants Whyte to get his mandated title shot against Fury or Wilder by February of next year.

Unfortunately for Hearn, that mess up plans for Joshua to fight for the undisputed championship in the first half of 2021 if Whyte takes on the Fury-Wilder 3 winner, but it’s still a win-win situation for him.

Hearn thinks Whyte has been given a bad deal by the World Boxing Council by them not letting him fight for a world title. However, Whyte only recently became the WBC mandatory as of last July when he beat Oscar Rivas.

Whyte had a chance to fight Luis Ortiz in a WBC title eliminator as far back as 2018, but he chose to face Dereck Chisora. That wasn’t the WBC’s fault that Whyte opted to fight Chisora instead of Ortiz.

Image: Eddie Hearn doubts injured Deontay Wilder will be ready to face Fury this year

Whyte should face Fury in 2020

Yes,” said Hearn to IFL TV when asked if Joshua and Fury may fight back to back in 2021. “But you’ve got all kinds of problems. You’ve got the Deontay Wilder problem; you’ve got Dillian Whyte, he’s the [WBC] mandatory for Tyson Fury as well.

“When we see them [Joshua-Fury] is interesting,” Hearn said of Joshua and Fury “I’m not sure Deontay Wilder will be ready this year. I have a funny feeling.

“I’d like Dillian to jump in and fight Tyson Fury at the end of this year. I think if Wilder isn’t ready, then it [Fury vs. Whyte] should be absolutely 100% made by the WBC.,” said Hearn.

It sounds like wishful thinking on Hearns part in him speculating that Wilder won’t be able to take the fight with Fury in 2020. While it’s certainly possible that Wilder’s injured bicep will keep him from fighting, it’s more likely that it won’t.

Hearn should be hoping that Whyte wins his upcoming August 15 fight against Alexander Povetkin because that’s not a sure thing win. Povetkin has more than enough talent to beat Whyte, who has looked horrible in his recent fights against Mariusz Wach, Oscar Rivas, and Dereck Chisora.

Whyte was barely better than those three B-level fighters. Those fights showed Whyte for all his limitations as a fighter. He’s a decent fighter, but he gets hit a lot, and he gets a lot of breaks fighting at home.

Hearn hasn’t said what he’d do with Whyte if he loses to Povetkin. Does Hearn try and rebuild the 32-year-old Whyte, or does he let him walk away as he did with Charlie Edwards?

Image: Eddie Hearn doubts injured Deontay Wilder will be ready to face Fury this year

Fury must fight Whyte if Wilder isn’t ready

“People want to see Fury against Joshua. Of course, they do,” said Hearn. “It’s the biggest fight ever in British boxing history. It’s one of the biggest battles of all time in boxing history, and it’s the undisputed heavyweight world championship.

” So certainly, if Wilder isn’t ready, then Fury must fight him [Whyte].

“Let’s be honest. If Fury fights Dillian, you’re still going to see an undisputed all British fight. The winner fights AJ anyway. But we’re ready to make AJ against Fury now, but we’re not ignoring that Dillian must get what’s promised and what he’s worked hard to do, which is get a shot at the [WBC] world heavyweight title,” said Hearn.

It’s so unlikely that Wilder won’t be ready that it’s a waste of time even to discuss it. If things work out perfectly for Whyte, Wilder will back out of the Fury trilogy match, and then it can play out the ay that Hearn is dreaming about. However, it’s not likely to happen, though.

Hearn needs to make up his mind whether he’s going to insist that the WBC enforce Whyte’s mandatory status by February of 2021. The fans don’t want to see Whyte fight Fury in the first half of 2021.

YouTube video