An eliminator for Whyte has officially been called in what has come as a bit of a left field news following his recent demolition job win over Australian Lucas Browne.
Whyte had positioned himself in pole position for a shot at WBC champion Deontay Wilder but as boxing so often does, a twist has been put into the works.
It turns out Whyte was not only high in the WBC rankings as mandatory challenger, but also in the IBF’s rankings for a final eliminator for a mandatory (for a shot at current champion Anthony Joshua).
Whyte and Joshua’s promoter confirmed the following letter he received this Easter from the IBF:
Just recieved a letter from the IBF ordering a final eliminator for the mandatory position between @DillianWhyte and @KubratPulev – interesting times for the division!
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) April 2, 2018
An interesting plot change in that Wilder now looks free to fight Anthony Joshua directly next up, if the above is enforced that is.
The plan by all accounts was for Wilder and Whyte to fight but due to the above and due to public demand for the Wilder vs Joshua fight following Joshua’s points win over Joseph Parker last weekend, it looks like promoter Eddie Hearn will be forced to come back to the negotiating table with Wilder sooner than he thought.
Either way, good news for heavyweight boxing.
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