Dillian Whyte in talks with three major networks ahead of boxing comeback
- Joe Hewlett
- 15 July 2022
Whyte is set for a return towards the end of the year after tasting the third defeat of his career in April to Tyson Fury.
Dillian Whyte will return to the ring following his brutal loss to Tyson Fury earlier this year.
The Brixton heavyweight challenged Fury for the WBC heavyweight title in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on April 23 but was unsuccessful in his quest to become world champion.
Beginning the fight in a southpaw stance, Whyte lost every round and got knocked out with a stunning uppercut by Fury in the sixth round.
The all-British encounter was the highest post-war attendance for a boxing fight in UK in history.
Since making the second defence of his WBC title, Fury claims he has retired despite not vacating a belt which Deontay Wilder is ranked as number one for.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman admitted Wilder is in line to challenge for the strap next should Fury quit.
His co-manager Shelly Finkel told Planet Sport in a world exclusive that the American is targeting the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua next while ruling out a fight with Derek Chisora.
Maybe the winner of Usyk and Joshua. I don't know what Fury is doing? Maybe if Joshua wins it's a huge fight in the UK (between those two) - there's so many intangibles so we're looking to see what happens in that fight (Usyk and Joshua).
"I don't care what
Fury says, we're waiting to see what he really wants to do because if he wants to fight the winner then he's going to get it. But after that, where are the top guys?
"There's only four real top guys in the heavyweights right now -
Usyk, Joshua, Fury and Deontay [Wilder]."
Finkel added: "I'm looking at everything and we're going to be making our decision but we're not there (yet).
"We've gotten several calls, I don't know how real they are from outside of the US and the UK and we're checking those out. Then once if any of those are real, that'll dictate another opponent," added Finkel.
Meanwhile, Whyte is pondering his next move as a free agent with Eddie Hearn and DAZN hoping to sign him although they have competition in Sky Sports and BT Sport.
Promoter Ben Shalom - who works exclusively with Sky - is hoping to sign Whyte and resurrect his career.
"He is a free agent so he knows that we are interested," Shalom told Mirror Fighting via Bet365.
"He also knows that DAZN and BT are interested. He is coming off a loss that he will feel he probably wasn't himself but there are a lot of opportunities at the heavyweight division.
"Below the very top there are some big fights for Dillian, he is a proven pay-per-view star, fan favourite and he will feel like he has a point to prove.
"We have been in talks and we hope that one day we will work with Dillian Whyte but it will be his choice and the time when he feels ready.
"It was obviously a big loss against Tyson Fury and one that he will take his time to recover from."
