18 July 2020

Eddie Hearn presses for Tyson Fury to fight Dillian Whyte if trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder does not happen

Promoter Eddie Hearn has called on Tyson Fury to fight Dillian Whyte if the Deontay Wilder trilogy is not imminent.

Fury, who stopped Wilder in seven rounds to become WBC champion back in February, is expected to face The Bronze Bomber for a third time later this year.

Fury is contractually obligated to give Wilder a third fight (PA)

However, Wilder has gone quiet since the defeat and Hearn believes the American’s reluctance to get the fight on quickly could leave the door open for Whyte.

Speaking to iFL TV, he said: "I’ll do Whyte-Fury. I’ll stick the dough up. It’s a huge fight. We haven’t heard from Deontay Wilder. He hasn’t been vocal about the third fight.

"But we understand the position. Tyson Fury has got to fight Deontay Wilder. Good luck, crack on. It’s difficult for everyone."

Whyte is due to fight Alexander Povetkin on August 22 behind closed doors in Essex.

By the time that bout comes around, the Brit would have been ranked No. 1 with the WBC for more than 1000 days, an unprecedented amount of time without getting a shot at the belt.

And there is also the fear that, while Whyte has been promised a shot at the title before February 2021, a bout between Fury and Anthony Joshua could get in the way of The Body Snatcher as they recently reached a ‘financial agreement’ for a two-fight deal next year.

But Hearn, who promotes both Whyte and Joshua, insists they fully expect Fury to face Whyte before a potential showdown with AJ next summer.

Whyte has been calling for a shot at the WBC title since 2017 (PA)

"Will they do Fury against Wilder 3, and will they do it in November or December?," he added.

"The cut-off date for Whyte to fight for the WBC title is the end of February, and we expect that to be kept to.

"If they [Fury-Wilder] fight in early December, and we (Whyte) make an agreement to fight in early March, yes, we will accept that."

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