Dillian Whyte’s inability to recognize a blessing in disguise could cost him his career

irishboxing

Dillian Whyte and in particular Eddie Hearn, are desperately trying to find an opponent for a possible November showdown after Alexander Povetkin pulled out of their scheduled bout due to illness. Their fight was scheduled for November 21st but has now been pushed back until the end of January. Now, everyone in the Russian’s camp will be quite relaxed about the change of dates knowing that the 41-year-old still has a chance of becoming the WBC mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury.

Things are quite different in the Whyte camp as they furiously set about trying to find someone to fight the English heavyweight on the same date. Eddie Hearn even went as far as suggesting that Whyte should fight Tyson Fury in the interim which is a proposal that at best could be described as utter lunacy, and at worst, grossly irresponsible.

You play with Fury, you play with the most scorching fire

Tyson Fury will never fall into the category of stopgap fighters like Carlos Takam, Derek Chisora, or David Price. Should there be a late cancellation, these are all men that you can call up without notice at the eleventh hour and they will step in to fight someone. The lure of a lucrative payday lets them put any lingering doubts about their long-term health to the back of their minds, as they agree to fight men who have been in training camps for months whilst they have been relaxing on the sun loungers of the Mediterranean. It’s often carnage once they step into the ring with the bout over before it ever really begins. 

Tyson Fury doesn’t fall into that bracket and Eddie Hearn should know better. Fury has been in a training camp preparing for a December fight – after Deontay Wilder withdrew from their third and final bout – and is in the shape of his life. And if you think that Fury has been dragging his feet after Wilder’s announcement then just think back to what Irish boxer Andy Lee said about the 32-year-old’s work ethic. The 36-year-old Irishman praised Fury’s dedication in the gym and said that he is the hardest worker he has ever seen. 

You could be fooled into thinking that this all sounds like it could make for a sensational boxing match should they meet, instead of the usual damp squib that last-minute stand-ins produce. Of course, you are not wrong, it would be a thoroughly enjoyable match-up but one that could ultimately see Dillian Whyte suffer catastrophic damage to the head.

Whyte falls foul to a Russian attack on UK soil 

You have to go back to the knockout that Whyte sustained against Povetkin and the 28-day suspension he was given after that by boxing’s board of control. These suspensions are regulation once a fighter has been knocked unconscious but many were concerned that it wasn’t long enough, and should have been 45 days at the very least.

In Whyte’s case, it was suggested that he may even be better off waiting for the new year to come around before stepping into the ring again, but a sudden decision on a rematch was made and the Englishman was set to fight a mere three months after being brutally knocked out.

Only now, Povetkin’s illness has meant that the fight won’t go ahead until almost February 2021. Some might say this is the universe stepping in to save Whyte’s boxing career. This is why Eddie Hearn’s insistence on a bout with Tyson Fury instead is incredibly reckless.

Fury is the most dangerous man in the heavyweight division

Let’s look at this another way. At this moment in time, Fury would be more or less as prepared as Anthony Joshua who is set to fight in mid-December. Joshua, of course, is the overwhelming favourite to win his match. Each provider on this list of the best UK bookmakers has the Watford-born heavyweight to beat Kubrat Pulev without breaking a sweat. A lot of those same bookmakers are offering generous free bets on Joshua and you can imagine a host of punters taking them up on these offers, such is the feeling that this will be a walk in the park for the man. 

Imagine that Whyte, after his loss in August, is probably in the same class as Pulev. If Joshua is 1/12 to beat the Bulgarian, what odds would Tyson Fury – a more skilled boxer – be at to beat Whyte?

It’s just pure madness that Hearn would offer up Whyte to a dangerous Tyson Fury so soon after his man was knocked out. There is every chance that Fury will scramble Whyte’s senses like he did to Wilder in Las Vegas. The question is: can Dillian Whyte afford another catastrophic knockout back-to-back? Wise heads need to prevail and let Whyte enjoy Christmas with his family before fighting Povetkin next year.

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