Eddie Hearn Discusses the Status of Tyson Fury – Dillian Whyte
When it comes to what’s next up for WBC world heavyweight champ Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs), things are still unsettled. There was a belief from fans and pundits that his next fight would be against mandatory challenger and WBC world ‘interim’ heavyweight belt holder Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs).
On December 7, the WBC ordered negotiations to begin between the two. Fury’s co-promoter, Bob Arum, said that Whyte should be Fury’s next opponent. But as of now, the two sides are far apart from reaching a deal.
Whyte’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, gave an update during an interview with *iFL TV. According to the CEO of Matchroom Promotions, the stumbling block is who receives what as far as percentage split.
KNOWING YOUR VALUE
“They want the split to be 80/20. We want it to be 55/45. That’s the maximum for an interim champion. So, when the purse bids are ordered, you can still do a deal. But then the WBC will determine the split.
Until that split is determined, it’s very difficult to do a deal because if they’re going to be offering 80/20, they got no chance. We’ll just win the purse bid. So, we’ll see, and whatever the split that’s around the area, it will be negotiated.
If Dillian Whyte and us feel that he’s not been respected in those negotiations, then we’ll go to purse bids.”
NOT CLOSE TO BEING SETTLED
When the WBC orders negotiations to begin between two fighters, they normally give a 28 to 30-day window. That was not the case here with Fury and Wilder. Look for the sanctioning body to clarify matters at the beginning of 2022.
An option could be Fury vacating the title, but that seems like a last resort at this point. He’s expressed a desire to fight unified IBF/WBA ‘super’/WBO heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk for undisputed honors. That goes out the window if he decides to figuratively trach the WBC belt.
Should Fury indeed vacate, Whyte would likely face former WBC champ and current number one contender, Deontay Wilder, for the vacant title.
Hearn went on to say they’re willing to do a deal. What it ultimately comes down to is his fighter receiving his proper due. Call this a classic case of preliminary negotiations and a battle of egos between promoters. This dance between them is far from over. Look for plenty to happen before we have a final resolution. Stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing for continued updates.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
