By Max Seitelman: WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and interim WBC champ Dillian Whyte traded trash talk on social media on Saturday. Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) was hounding Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) over the possibility that the World Boxing Council could make him the Franchise champion.
Fury is getting tired of hearing Whyte complain about wanting his title shot and says he’s now at the stage where he’s “begging” for the payday.
For Fury, that’s what he believes the 32-year-old Whyte wants most of all. If Whyte weren’t entirely focused on the payday, he wouldn’t mind if Fury were made the Franchise champion.
When the WBC makes that move, they’ll elevate Whyte to the new WBC heavyweight champion. That should make Whyte happy, but it won’t because the WBC title is nothing. What’s essential is Whyte getting the big payday against Fury.
If Fury is made the Franchise champion, he can circumvent his WBC mandatory challenger Whyte permanently. The only reason why Fury would want to avoid Whyte temporarily is so that he can face IBF/WBA/WBO champion, Anthony Joshua.
Fury: Whyte needs to worry about Povetkin
“Dillian Whyte, I might think about giving you a payday only if you’re nice,” said Fury on Twitter. Until then keep fighting 40 odd-year-olds [Alexander Povetkin] in Eddie’s garden, Mr big time. Come back and achieve something.
“Whyte, worry about Povetkin, the 40-year-old your fighting in Eddie’s garden. He may surprise you. How many world titles have you won again? Whyte, you couldn’t drop an old faded [Mariusz] Wach, never mind me.
“You’re no good and begging for a payday. Get down on your hands and knees,” said Fury.
It’s alarming that Whyte and the boxing public are entirely overlooking the threat that the 40-year-old Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) presents for Dillian.
Povetkin has only lost twice in his career in defeats against Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua. Dillian Whyte already lost to Joshua in December 2015 by a seventh-round knockout.
Whyte and Povetkin will be fighting on August 22 on Sky Sports Box Office at the Matchroom Fight Camp, in Brentwood, Essex. Povetkin is supposed to be a warm-up fight for Whyte before he challenges for the WBC title in early 2021.
Dillian has been assured by the WBC that he’ll be able to challenge for the belt in early next year and that he won’t need to wait. The main reason why Dillian is facing Povetkin is because of the money he can make on Sky Box Office.
Dillian in too much of a hurry
Since he can’t fight the Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy winner until February 2021, Whyte wants to stay busy. Sky Sport won’t place Whyte’s next fight on PPV unless he faces a good opponent, so that’s the reason why he’s facing a live body in Povetkin.
Whyte is a talented fighter, but Povetkin could surprise him, as Fury says. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist Povetkin has a lot of ability, and he can punch.
Whyte is too impatient for his own good, and that suggests that he doesn’t believe he can hold out long enough to face Fury. If Whyte had more talent, he wouldn’t be in such a hurry to fight Fury.
He could wait to let the Fury fight marinate in the same way that Floyd Mayweather Jr. waited six years before he finally fought Manny Pacquiao. Maybe Whyte isn’t a good enough fighter for him to put off the Fury fight until the end of 2021 or 2022, but that’s what he should do.
Whyte: Fury is begging the WBC to make him Franchise champion
Keep running, Tyson Fury. Unlike you, I’m a real fighting man, not a lying fake coward and I’ll fight you or anyone else anywhere including Eddie’s back garden I’m not begging for a payday, but you are begging the WBC to make you franchise champ so I don’t humiliate you again #Fake Tyson #Coward,” said Whyte in responding to Fury.
It’s still early yet, and it’s possible that Fury could be made Franchise champion. It won’t take begging for that to happen. If Fury’s promoter Bob Arum asks the WBC to make him Franchise champion, there’s a good chance they’ll grant him his wish.
Whyte thinks Fury is running from him, but that’s not the case. Fury has only a small handful of fights since he turned from his long layoff, and he’s been going after the important battles lately. Whyte hasn’t a bargaining chip in terms of a world title for Fury to go after, so he’s not chosen to face him.
It would be better for Fury and Whyte to fight after the pandemic ends rather than while it’s going on, but Dillian doesn’t want to wait. If Whyte were patient, he could face Fury potentially after a vaccine is discovered and given to the public. That’s expected to happen in late 2021. As such, the best time for Whyte and Fury to fight would be in late 2021 or 2022.
