Dillian Whyte Removed from All Major Rankings?
Dillian Whyte (26-1, 18KO) was initially suspended by the WBC for a failed UKAD test prior to his fight with Oscar Rivas (26-1, 18KO) that would name him the mandatory for WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
We at 3kingsboxing.com reported on the suspension July 30. It’s important to note that this is was initially a removal from the mandatory position within the WBC. It is worth noting the WBC has not yet updated their rankings as of the writing of this article. But it is expected the change will be coming soon as they publicly announced Tyson Fury would be the new mandatory.
Whyte is not ranked by the other three major sanctioning bodies. This is unusual on several fronts as it would seem it is because of his failed UKAD test after his July bout with Rivas. However, lets examine the details.
What Happened?
The British heavyweight was in good standing for a title shot with two other sanctioning bodies outside the WBC in 2019. He was ranked third behind WBO mandatory Oleksander Usyk and Fury up until August. Did the organization remove him from their updated rankings list right after they got wind of his failed test or was it because he was awarded the WBC interim title?
Additionally, the WBA had him ranked third up until July. The removal here would happen a month before he won the interim title and his failed drug test became public.
Meanwhile, last time he was ranked by the IBF was in April of 2018 at the fourth position. Therefore, this would be a full year before the Rivas bout. But the question still stands. “Why did they ultimately remove him?”
His next fight after the last time he was ranked was against Joseph Parker for a minor version of the WBO title. Is this why? If so, why have the organizations been so inconsistent when it came to ranking/not ranking Whyte?
Now with the luster of fighting the UK heavyweight contender diminished, it makes promoter Eddie Hearn’s job a little harder.
Hearn has indicated that he’d like to have Whyte back in the ring by December 7 on the under-card of Andy Ruiz vs Anthony Joshua 2.
By: Corey Cunningham
