WBC reinstates Whyte as interim champion
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
The WBC had rescinded the title pending investigation for his failed drug test
Some good news and some bad news for Dillian Whyte.
The good news: he is once more the WBC interim heavyweight champion. The sanctioning body initially suspended the title after Whyte’s failed drug test, but have reinstated him upon UKAD clearing him of wrongdoing. He will become the mandatory challenger for whoever wins between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in their upcoming rematch.
The bad news: that mandatory defense won’t be due until “on or about February of 2021.”
Whyte (27-1, 18 KO) has spent much of the year embroiled in controversy stemming from the aforementioned drug test, which occurred before his title-winning fight with Oscar Rivas but didn’t come to light until afterwards. UK Anti-Doping just recently exonerated him of wrongdoing, claiming that the results “are consistent with an isolated contamination event, and they are not suggestive of doping.”
There’s technically nothing stopping Wilder or Fury from facing Whyte (27-1, 18 KO) ahead of schedule, but a unification with Anthony Joshua or a victory lap seem far more likely. While Whyte may not be quite at the level of those three, he does present a fairly unappealing risk/reward ratio, especially without a major title with which to entice them.
If the Wach performance last weekend is anything to go by, though, he may need that time to get back in fighting trim.