By Jim Maltzman: WBC heavyweight champion Tyson ‘Gypsy King’ Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) will be fighting next March against Dillian Whyte or Joe Joyce in the UK, says promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
Fury will likely face WBC interim champion Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs). The World Boxing Council recently ruled that the interim champion will be the next opponent for Tyson if he’s unable to negotiate a unification fight with IBF/WBA/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian will be fighting a rematch against Anthony Joshua next, so he’s unable to face Fury at this time. That leaves Whyte as Fury’s likely next foe.
Arum wants to get the unbeaten Fury back out to keep the momentum going following his thrilling performance against Deontay Wilder on October 9th.
The two warriors battled back and forth, both hitting the deck at least twice before Fury took control and stopped Wilder in the 11th round. This was a fight-of-the-year candidate and easily the most exciting heavyweight contest in recent years.
“The question is, when will he fight next? If I had to guess, I would say probably March,” said Arum to Blue Blood Sports TV.
Fury needs to stay active so that he’s ready to take on the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr II rematch, who are fighting in March, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
It’s a great idea by Arum to get Fury back in the ring as soon as possible because he tends to pack on a lot of weight in between fights when he’s inactive. Fury recently came off a long year and a half layoff to defeat Wilder.
With Fury’s talent, he should be fighting no less than twice a year, preferably three times. It’s a waste of his potential for him to be inactive the way he was before his trilogy match with Wilder.
“Dillian Whyte is NOT the mandatory, and that’s what the WBC hasn’t done,” said Arum. “Dillian Whyte has an obligation to fight Wallin, and we’ll see.”
Fury will likely defend against Whyte because the WBC did rule that the interim champion will be next if there is no unification fight with Usyk.
Arum won’t oppose a fight between Fury and Whyte once he realizes how much money it will bring in. It’s a far bigger fight for Fury than a match against 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce.
The downside of Fury fighting Whyte is that he could lose because Dillian has a lot of power in both hands, and he’s a rugged heavyweight.
The only way Fury can maneuver around Whyte is if he asks to be made Franchise champion or if he vacates. As many boxing fans know, Fury doesn’t duck his opponents, and he would never agree to be made Franchise champion to avoid Whyte or anyone.
“But again, in March, I’d like Tyson Fury to fight in the UK, and I would think among the opponents would be Dillian Whyte or maybe this big English guy, Joe Joyce,” said Arum.
Arum expects Joshua to lose his rematch with IBF/WBA/WBO champion Usyk because he feels he doesn’t know how to fight a southpaw, particularly a highly skilled one.
Usyk recently defeated Joshua by a 12 round unanimous decision on September 25th in London, England. The fight was primarily one-sided, with Usyk outboxing the slower Joshua from start to finish.
“Usyk is too fast for him, too smart, and it’ll take Joshua years to learn how to fight a southpaw,” said Arum. “He didn’t have a clue in how to fight a southpaw. Usyk will beat him worse the next time, no matter who his trainer is.”
