WBC Prez Stands Firm on Support For Fury-Wilder 3, Whyte Getting His Shot

World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman says Dillian Whyte has the right to enforce his mandatory shot.

Whyte recently took legal action against the WBC to ensure that his mandatory shot will remain on course.

Last year, the WBC issued an order which stated Whyte, who holds the interim-title, would get his mandatory world title shot by February 2021.

Whyte, using legal means, is attempting to keep that February deadline in place.

But, right now the WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is going to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight. Fury is contractually tied to that third fight - with or without the WBC title.

The third fight, which requires some type of audience, is being targeted for a date in December. If they do compete in December, it would be nearly impossible for the winner to face Whyte in February.

Boxing's planned schedule has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic - which led to the cancellation of most events in March, April, May and June.

Top Rank has resumed their events earlier this month, but they are small cards being held without spectators in Las Vegas. The Fury-Wilder rematch generated an $18 million gate at the MGM Grand in February.

If Fury-Wilder 3 is pushed back to 2021, which is certainly a possibility, then Whyte's mandatory shot would get pushed back as well.

Also a possibility, is the WBC granting Fury the status of 'franchise' champion - which in turn would automatically make Whyte the full champion.

Sulaiman has made two things clear, his organization will not interfere with the Fury-Wilder trilogy and the WBC will keep Whyte's position in place as mandatory challenger.

“Right now we don’t know when boxing is going to resume for some specific fights, such as the rematch between Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury. We don’t know if that fight will happen October, November, December, next year. We cannot control that. But for the WBC there is a legal contract that [Wilder, Fury] signed for a third fight,” Sulaiman told Boxing Insider Radio. 

"For the WBC there is a mandatory title defense that the champion has to make. The mandatory challenger is the interim champion, Dillian Whyte. He has the right to enforce his title shot after the Wilder vs Fury third fight. Fury vs Joshua is just speculation. They have both come out and said that they have a deal which is very good. But there are many things that must take place before it actually happens."