By Keith Idec
Dillian Whyte claims Deontay Wilder wants to fight Tyson Fury next because Wilder seeks a lesser puncher than him.
Wilder and Fury have confirmed that negotiations are ongoing for them to fight later this year. Eddie Hearn, Whyte’s promoter, has upped his offer to Wilder to “$7 million or $8 million” for the WBC champion to come to England to fight Whyte.
London’s Whyte is the No. 1 contender for Wilder’s title, but the WBC has oddly declared American Dominic Breazeale the mandatory challenger for Wilder’s title. Breazeale (19-1, 17 KOs) is ranked No. 2 among the WBC’s heavyweight contenders.
“Wilder does not want to fight anyone who can hurt him, someone dangerous,” Whyte told Sky Sports for a story posted to its website Thursday. “With Wilder, I just have to clip him once or twice and it’ll be over. He will not be able to stand up to the pressure and power I bring. You’ve seen the power I carry late on in the fight and I know he would not be able to deal with it.”
The 30-year-old Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs) knocked down Joseph Parker in the second and ninth rounds of their fight Saturday night at O2 Arena in London. New Zealand’s Parker (24-2, 18 KOs) floored Whyte in the 12th round, but Whyte was able to survive and beat Parker by unanimous decision (115-110, 114-111, 113-112).
The 32-year-old Wilder survived severe trouble in the seventh round of his last fight and knocked out Luis Ortiz in the 10th round March 3. Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) dropped Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs, 2 NC) three times, once in the fifth round and twice in the 10th, on his way to winning their fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The 29-year-old Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) is scheduled to box Italy’s Francesco Pianeta (35-4-1, 21 KOs) on August 18 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the second fight of his comeback from treatment for alcoholism, drug addiction and depression. Before beating overmatched Sefer Seferi (23-2, 21 KOs) by technical knockout June 9 in Manchester, England, Fury hadn’t fought since he upset Wladimir Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO titles in November 2015 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Whyte doesn’t believe Wilder and Fury actually will fight next.
“Fury is a joker,” Whyte told Sky Sports. “He’s a mess mentally and physically. He’s irrelevant right now. He’s saying he wants to fight Wilder. I think he is talking rubbish. If he wants a real fight, I am here. Let’s get it on in December. It’s more realistic, him fighting me. We can get it on in December. It’ll have the money and hype. It’s a massive fight. If he is serious, then he knows where I am, so let’s get it on.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.