WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has cast doubt over the viability of a Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua showdown, with Sulaiman stating that Fury must face mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte before fighting Joshua.
Whyte, who has lost just once in his professional boxing career, has had number one contender status for nearly 1,000 days, and has sought legal advice over his predicament.
Whyte was supposed to fight for the crown in February 2021. However, with the coronavirus pandemic and news of Fury and Joshua's two fight deal, there is no guarantee that fight will go ahead.
It is the coronavirus pandemic, according to Sulaiman, that has thrown the schedule of fights into chaos.
“Right now we don’t know when boxing is going to resume for some specific fights, such as the rematch between Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury.
“We don’t know if that fight will happen October, November, December, next year.
"We cannot control that. But for the WBC there is a legal contract that they signed for a third fight (between Fury and Wilder).”
The deal between Fury and Joshua has been thrust into controversy due to the role of Daniel Kinahan, and Sulaiman has stated that news of the fights are merely "speculation".
The WBC president, whilst speaking with Boxing Insider Radio, has said that Whyte is well within his rights to enforce a title shot once Fury and Wilder complete their trio of fights.
"For the WBC there is a mandatory title defense that the champion has to make. The mandatory challenger is the interim champion, Dillian Whyte.
“He has the right to enforce his title shot after the Wilder vs Fury third fight. Fury vs Joshua is just speculation.
“They have both come out and said that they have a deal which is very good. But there are many things that must take place before it actually happens."
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