WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum has weighed in on the upcoming fight between interim titleholder Dillian Whyte 28-2 (19) and Otto Wallin 22-1 (14) at the O2 Arena in London on October 30.
Swedish southpaw Wallin, 30, gave Fury hell in their 12-round battle two years ago, bust up his right eye so severely he required 47 stitches. Wallin lost on points but won a few rounds and proved he can mix it at the highest level.
The 33-year-old Whyte has long coveted a shot at the WBC belt currently held by fellow Brit Fury, but Arum doesn’t see that fight taking place anytime soon.
“I don’t think Dillian Whyte beats Wallin. I mean Tyson fought Wallin, he’s a tough, tough Swedish dude. So let’s see how Whyte does with Wallin before we make plans for Fury to fight Whyte,” the Top Rank boss told Fight Hub TV.
Fury, 33, had to drag himself off the canvas twice to wear down Deontay Wilder and stop him in the 11th round in their epic battle in Las Vegas earlier this month. Wilder was down three times.
Fury 31-0-1 (22) was expected to face Anthony Joshua 24-2 (22) in a rare four-belt unification bout next year before Joshua dropped his WBA, WBO and IBF titles to Ukrainian southpaw Oleksandr Usyk 19-0 (13) on points last month.
He is now expected to move directly into a rematch.
Arum approached Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing about offering Joshua step-aside money so that Fury could unify with former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk.
“Joshua and Usyk, I think they’re going to wait until April 4. I think Fury will fight again in March or April. Then we can look to a September or October match for a unification,” Arum said.
“Eddie thought Joshua wouldn’t be amenable to a step aside and would want to do the rematch. Which is sort of stupidity on his part because no way is he going to beat Usyk in his next fight no matter what new strategy he deploys.
“Yeah, too talented, and he’s a little chinny, Joshua is. The only way you’re going to beat Usyk is to pin him and corner him with your high weight and pressure him. But then he can unload against you. Now, a Tyson Fury can absorb that as we all know, but Anthony Joshua has a suspect chin.”
Meanwhile, Fury’s other co-promoter Frank Warren says the WBC champion sees Joe Joyce 13-0 (12) as the greatest threat to his reign. Warren also promotes Joyce.
“I was talking to Tyson about him,” Warren told Sky Sports. “Tyson said that he’s the best one out there. That’s what Tyson’s opinion was. Can he go all the way? Yes he can. He’s got a good ticker, a big heart. He’s strong, he walks forwards, he is the ‘Juggernaut’.”
“Whoever he’s in there with, you know they will have a problem getting rid of him. He’s a tough guy. He can fight a bit. He can punch.”
