British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte 28-2 (19) could return to the US to fight on the undercard of the four-belt unification bout between WBC, WBO and IBF super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 56-1-2 (38) and IBF counterpart Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant 21-0 (12) in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 18.
The 33-year-old Whyte has fought stateside just once, knocking out Malcolm Tann in three rounds on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs Julius Indongo in Lincoln, Nebraska four years ago.
Latest reports have the Alvarez-Plant fight landing on a Fox Sports pay-per-view to appease Plant’s promoter Premier Boxing Champions rather than streaming service DAZN, who have broadcast Alvarez’s past three bouts.
Opponents being considered for Whyte include veteran powerhouse Chris ‘The Nightmare’ Arreola 38-7-1 (33) and former IBF titleholder ‘Prince’ Charles Martin 28-2-1 (25).
“Just seeing what’s happening with the Canelo situation, there are some discussions about Dillian [Whyte] maybe fighting on that card as well, along with talks with PBC,” said Hearn to iFL TV.
“We’re also talking to [manager] Luis DeCubas about a possible Arreola fight, a Charles Martin fight for Dillian Whyte, which could come after his August/September fight.
“Dillian Whyte will fight on August 28th or, more likely now, in September. If we do the Canelo fight, we’ve been discussing with Saul and Eddy Reynoso offers from PBC for the Plant fight, our offers, and our potential people.
“If we do the show, then it’s very likely Dillian Whyte will fight on Canelo Alvarez’s undercard. If we don’t do the show and we accept the PBC offer for the Plant fight, that one fight, we may go on that card, or we may do an additional show in September with Dillian Whyte.”
Another fight under considering is a mouth-watering clash between former world champions Mikey Garcia 40-1 (30) and Regis Prograis 26-1 (22).
“I like the Mikey Garcia-Regis Prograis fight, it’s a fight that we’re discussing and we’re trying to get it over the line as well,” Hearn continued.
“Maybe it can be a part of the doubleheader. In an ideal world, I’d like for Dillian to fight on Canelo Alvarez’s undercard. It’ll be a great profile for him and a great opportunity.”
If Whyte doesn’t land a spot on the Alvarez-Plant undercard, it is still expected his next fight will take place in the US.
“I expect Dillian Whyte now to fight on September the 18th or September 11th,” said Hearn. “We’d look to do that in Los Angeles.
“Obviously, if Canelo fights on September 18th, it’ll be in Las Vegas. Yes, quite possibly.
“Dillian was always supposed to fight on August 28th. It was a little early. He preferred to fight in September.
“But as I said, I would like for him to fight on the Canelo Alvarez card. That would be a tremendous place for him to box. The middle of September is really his preferred date.
“We’ve finalized his opponent now, which in due course, we’ll make a formal announcement. So we just want to nail down which of those two Saturdays [September 11th or September 18th] he fights on.”
