By Keith Idec
Dillian Whyte wasted no time in calling out Deontay Wilder on Saturday night.
As soon as Whyte’s post-fight interview began at ringside with Sky Sports, a demonstrative Whyte yelled several times that the time has arrived for him to get a shot at the unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion. Whyte made the strongest case he could to challenge Wilder moments earlier, when he knocked Lucas Browne unconscious in the sixth round of their fight at O2 Arena in London.
“Deontay Wilder, where you at?,” Whyte screamed. “[In] June, where you at, Wilder? Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! I’m ready! Let’s get it, Deontay! Let’s go! No excuse. Forget Joshua. … Let’s do this. June at O2. Let’s get it! I’m No. 1, baby! Let’s go! Let’s go! That’s it!”
The 29-year-old Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) is the WBC’s No. 1 heavyweight contender, but the Mexico City-based sanctioning organization hasn’t named Whyte as Wilder’s mandatory challenger. Eddie Hearn, Whyte’s promoter, has said the WBC still could order an elimination match between Whyte and second-ranked Dominic Breazeale (19-1, 17 KOs) to determine Wilder’s mandatory challenger.
British superstar Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs), the opponent Wilder wants more than anyone, is the only boxer to beat Breazeale and Whyte. Whyte hopes the WBC orders Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) to make a mandatory defense against him, not an elimination match with Breazeale.
“Listen, the WBC are good people,” Whyte said. “They’re loyal people. And they seem to stick to their rules, and they want their fighters to be active. And I think people is tired of seeing Deontay Wilder fighting these off-way guys. Joshua isn’t fighting him next, so his next fight is me. If he fights anyone else, I’m gonna go to America and kick off.”
Hearn reportedly has offered Wilder a $4 million purse to travel to London to fight Whyte, who was dominant Saturday night before knocking out Australia’s Browne (25-1, 22 KOs). Wilder declined Hearn’s offer and has repeatedly stated he is interested in fighting Joshua, not Whyte.
As a guest commentator for Sky Sports, Wilder will watch from ringside March 31, when Joshua, the IBF/IBO/WBA champ, and WBO champ Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs) meet in a title unification fight at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
