Dillian Whyte sues WBC over Fury fight date

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has said Dillian Whyte is suing the WBC about his date to fight their heavyweight champion.

The British fighter is the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury’s WBC title and has officially held that position since last July.

But with then champion Deontay Wilder tied into two fights with Fury, Whyte’s shot at the WBC was repeatedly delayed and eventually pushed back to February 2021.

Speaking about the legal action Whyte had taken, WBC president Sulaiman told Sky Sports: “There is a procedure with regards to the date of the mandatory in the heavyweight division.

“Upon direct advice of WBC legal counsel I am not in position to discuss any further.”

Whyte’s position was complicated by a doping investigation last year, which led to the WBC suspending his status as mandatory challenger.

The “Bodysnatcher” was cleared of any wrongdoing, but by then Fury and Wilder had booked their rematch and come to terms over a third fight.

The heavyweight rivals will fight again and Fury then intends to take on WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF champion Anthony Joshua in two fights.

Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum has suggested the WBC make Fury “franchise” champion so he can do away with his obligation to fight the mandatory challengers.

The WBC’s “franchise” champion status is a controversial issue among fans, but Arum thinks it might be a solution to the ongoing problem with Whyte.

Arum told PepTalkUK: “Fury and Joshua… whether they fight once or twice or whatever, Dillian Whyte can make a big name for himself fighting in the interim and then when he fights the winner he can make a huge payday.

“There has to be a lot of sense involved… his management can’t push for something that makes no sense in my opinion.”

“The reaction to a lot of these mandatories, what the WBC did was to make a guy like Canelo franchise champion.

“They made Lomachenko franchise champion and that allowed Devin Haney to fight for the WBC title and not to bother Lomachenko with a mandatory fight.

“Particularly [these champions were elevated] while these guys were fighting the top, top person around.

“Nobody is asking the WBC to make Tyson Fury a ‘franchise champion, but if Dillian Whyte pursues this idea of fighting Tyson Fury before he fought Wilder again and then Joshua, that would be the way I think the WBC would go.

“[If the WBC does that], the public is not stupid, the public knows who’s the champion. Particularly now when we’ve had this [pandemic] period where we haven’t had fights, I think we’ve gotta do the right thing – and the right thing is to do the fights that really appeal to the public.”