Should Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte fight in 2022?
By Oli Dickson Jefford
Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte are two men who will be happy with their 2021.
Fury rounded off his trilogy versus Deontay Wilder with a thrilling victory against the American, while Whyte gained revenge against Alexander Povetkin in March after losing to the Russian in 2020.
Now, it is possible that the two could face each other in 2022.
Whyte is the mandatory challenger for Fury’s WBC belt and a date for an all-British heavyweight bonanza could be sorted soon, but nothing is guaranteed.
Though Whyte has expressed interest in the fight, Fury has so far kept surprisingly quiet about fighting his compatriot.
One big question looms: should the two fight?
Would it work?
On paper, there is no major obstacle to stop the fight happening.
Whyte is mandatory challenger for one of Fury’s belts and as such he should be near the top of Fury’s list in terms of who he fights next.
However, Fury is likely to fight abroad once again with Saudi Arabia a rumoured destination for his next contest after five fights in the US.
This may be one potential issue as Whyte will likely want to fight in the UK, while the British public and media may also want a significant all-British clash taking place on home soil.
There could also be an issue in terms of promoters.
Fury is part of Queensbury Promotions run by Frank Warren while Whyte is a member of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and it is fair to say there is not much love lost between the two.
Warren and Fury would have the upper hand in negotiations with the ‘Gypsy King’ the bigger star of the two boxers, but Hearn is unlikely to be a pushover in negotiations.
TV rights may also be a stumbling block, with Warren’s fighters usually on BT Sport and Hearn’s fighters now usually on DAZN.
Who else could they fight?
There are countless heavyweights who would want a piece of Fury, but he is likely to beat all of them.
He would be the favourite against Whyte, but the Brixton-based fighter would perhaps provide more of a test than Charles Martin or Andy Ruiz to name just two.
Aside from Fury, the two big names in the heavyweight division are Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
Fury v Joshua looked a real possibility in the past but is now unlikely to happen in 2022 after Joshua’s loss to Usyk.
Usyk is likely to challenge Fury the most and is a fight that all heavyweight boxing fans would relish, but the Ukrainian is likely to honour the rematch clause in his contract with Joshua.
Whyte could find himself fighting against the likes of Martin, Ruiz or Joseph Parker, but it is hard to see what victory over any one of those would prove at this stage in his career.
He may not be top priority for Fury, but Fury will definitely be the one fight that Whyte wants this year.
Should it happen?
This is a fight that should happen this year.
Fury is obviously the key factor here and while Whyte may not be the glamour fight he wants, he is the mandatory challenger and is the best fighter who has no other fight planned.
This would be a golden opportunity for Whyte and a huge fight for British boxing, being one of the biggest all-British fights in recent years.
It would be logical for Whyte and Fury to fight, and for the winner to face whoever wins the Joshua-Usyk rematch.
Let’s hope that both parties can come to an agreement and a date gets sorted.
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