Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will not welcome WBC title fight with Dillian Whyte, says Eddie Hearn
Watch Whyte vs Rivas, Allen-Price, Chisora-Szpilka and more on a bumper O2 bill, Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office
Thursday 18 July 2019 11:35, UK
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will not have welcomed a WBC ruling that the winner of their rematch must fight Dillian Whyte, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
Whyte can secure the WBC 'interim' belt and a mandatory WBC heavyweight title fight if he defeats Oscar Rivas at The O2 on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
WBC champion Wilder is set to fight Tyson Fury in early 2020, provided the American overcomes Luis Ortiz later this year, and Whyte could be lying in wait for the 'Bronze Bomber' or his British rival.
"I don't think they're very happy and they'll try everything they can to try and get out of it, but now we have it solid," Hearn told Sky Sports.
"He's wanted Wilder for a long, long time. Fury called him out recently and we have publicly accepted that challenge and he's changed his mind, so I don't think anyone wants to fight Dillian Whyte. That's why we've had to force the mandatory position.
"It's going to be interesting, but that's again why we had to get this position, because no one is going to choose Dillian Whyte to fight."
If Whyte successfully overcomes Rivas, then plans are in place for him to fight again later this year, and Hearn believes the Brixton man could sharpen his skills for a title shot with a bout in America.
"Once the Luis Ortiz fight was allowed, which we knew it would always be allowed, Dillian was going to fight in November-December anyway," said Hearn.
"Dillian always wants a proper fight, but once he's got the guaranteed mandatory shot, my advice would not be to fight (Oleksandr) Usyk or (Alexander) Povetkin, or those kind of guys.
"I think he'll maybe go to the States, and have a fight, and get ready for the winner of Wilder-Fury."
But Hearn has warned Whyte about the prospect of another seismic shock in the division, just a few weeks after Andy Ruiz Jr ripped Anthony Joshua's world titles away with an upset victory in New York.
"I had breakfast with [Rivas promoter] Yvon Michel this morning and he says he cannot see any way that Oscar Rivas loses this fight," Hearn said.
"They've been watching the Chisora fights back, he's said Rivas is going to put Whyte on the back foot from the first round. He thinks it's going to be an absolute war and there are so many similarities in this fight to the Joshua-Ruiz build-up and the Whyte-Rivas build-up.
"No one really gives the opponent a chance, everyone is talking about the future, or something now. My worry in this fight is that Dillian has to be 100 per cent ready for war, and he was always ready for war, but I think particularly in this fight, because especially with the WBC resolution.
"It's there now. He's got to win this fight. All the hard work, all the campaigning has been done. Don't slip up now.
"You've got a fighter that, going back to the Ruiz situation, another very good amateur in Rivas, who beat Ruiz, who beat (Kubrat) Pulev, who has been boxing for a very long time, much longer than Dillian Whyte. It's a massive danger."
Watch Dillian Whyte vs Oscar Rivas on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.
