Eddie Hearn believes Dillian Whyte was right to pursue litigation against the WBC in pursuit of a world title shot despite the legal battle holding up confirmation of a fight against Tyson Fury.
The WBC confirmed that the arbitration case must play out before ordering Fury to defend his belt against Whyte, who has been incensed after being forced to remain patient for his shot.
But despite a further dispute over a potential purse split, with Hearn claiming that a 55-45 split would be more fair than the 80-20 split Fury’s promoters Top Rank are pushing for, the Matchroom promoter underlined the importance of the fight being ordered above any additional disagreements.
“I think the truth is, without the lawsuit, would he [Dillian Whyte] have even been called for the mandatory by the WBC? I think the answer is probably no or certainly not with the terms that he would want,” Hearn told iFL TV.
“The legal case and the arbitration has to make its decision, and we believe it’ll be a more favourable decision than what it would be for a standard WBC ruling,” said Hearn.
“The WBC said yesterday, ‘We can’t make a ruling because of this ongoing situation.’ I get it. We’re very confident the ruling will be in the best interest of Dillian Whyte, bearing in mind the circumstances, and he will be called the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury.
“I’m a bit disappointed that it didn’t take place yesterday, but Dillian and his team have been working hard behind the scenes. But we’re very confident the legal matter will be resolved, and he will be the mandatory for Tyson Fury.”
The situation appears to be delicate for the WBC, with Fury’s status as the No 1 heavyweight on the planet secure.
Meaning he could vacate the belt and hold out for the winner of the Joshua vs Usyk rematch, which would see the WBC not represented in the biggest fight in the sport.
Whyte, meanwhile, continues to rehabilitate from a shoulder injury which forced him to pull out of his fight with Otto Wallin, which will not be rearranged as the Briton awaits clarity on his status to challenge Fury for the world title in 2022.
