The victor of the clash between heavyweight contenders Joseph Parker and Dillian Whyte at London’s The 02 on July 28 will walk away with two key belts strapped around their waist.
The pair will contend for the vacant WBO International strap as well as the WBC Silver title Whyte successfully defended when crushing Lucas Browne in March.
“We’ve always said this fight is a “People’s Eliminator” and this announcement simply adds more credence to that,” David Higgins, promoter of Joseph Parker said.
“For the winner, having those two belts sends a powerful message that they are the rightful challenger for a shot at Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. Their case will be extremely hard to deny.”
It has been reported that the WBO would award its vacant No. 2 belt to the winner of a bout between American Bryant Jennings and Russian Alexander Dimitrenko, scheduled for Atlantic City in August.
However, the WBO has confirmed to Duco Events and Matchroom Boxing, promoters of Parker and Whyte respectively, that the belt will instead be on the line in London.
“We received confirmation in writing of that earlier this week,” Mr Higgins said. “It’s an eminently sensible decision. Joseph Parker is the immediate former WBO champion and the first man to take Joshua the full 12 rounds. He wasn’t all that far off beating him, and would be a good chance of doing so in a rematch.
“And Whyte is a huge puncher – an entertainer who is highly ranked by pretty much all of the sanctioning bodies. Why wouldn’t you want one of those guys to be wearing your No. 2 belt and lining up for a shot at the major title?”
Meanwhile, Joseph Parker and trainer Kevin Barry have arrived in London to continue their preparations for what shapes as a thrilling contest on July 28.
The bout will screen live in New Zealand on SKY Box Office on Sunday July 29. The undercard will begin at 5.00am, with the main event to begin no earlier than 9.00am.
