In this week’s Fight Talk we discuss possible opponents for Dillian Whyte after the British heavyweight avenged its loss to Alexander Povetkin with the win in Gibraltar on Saturday.
We’ll also hear the latest news about a possible exhibition battle between former world champions Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and Britain’s Amir Khan on his own new reality TV show.
Who could be next for Whyte?
Before Saturday night, Whyte’s career was at stake.
After being knocked out by Povetkin in August, the Brit entered the rematch knowing that it was a must for any world title to materialize soon.
And a rejuvenated Whyte came back with a bang, thanks to a brutal hiatus in Gibraltar.
Whyte’s no-nonsense, aggressive approach – a style that made him popular with British fans – means he’s rarely found in a boring fight.
While he’s not the one to ever hesitate to speak up, the Londoner is always gracious to both victory and defeat …
So, with his career back on track, who should ‘The Body Snatcher’ fight next? Let’s take a look at some of the potential competitors.
The tastiest match is the one with the former champion Deontay Wilder. The American and Whyte have a longstanding feud that goes back more than two years …
Whyte was a mandatory WBC belt – a status he regained after beating Povetkin – but a fight with Wilder never came to fruition.
Whyte spoke about his feelings towards Wilder remaining the same before his victory on Saturday …
“Deontay Wilder is afraid of his own shadow” – Dillian Whyte replies to Trash Talk
Although Wilder has since lost his belt to Tyson Fury, a fight between him and Whyte would undoubtedly be one of the most lucrative for the British.
And it’s the only matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn wants to deliver for his fighter.
“It’s a stadium fight for me, it’s a colossal fight,” said Hearn after Whyte’s victory.
Another option is ex-champion Andy Ruiz Jr.who shocked the world in July 2019 when he hit Anthony Joshua.
The Mexican hasn’t fought since losing the rematch to Joshua six months later, but both he and Whyte have also been involved back and forth on various social media, this being the most recent …
While Wilder and Ruiz Jr. may be household names, Whyte has also said that he would love to fight the lesser-known American Trevor Bryan for the WBA “normal” belt.
Bryan is unbeaten in 21 fights, though his stop win over Bermane Stiverne in January is his only fight in nearly two and a half years.
Those fight fans wouldn’t mind seeing Whyte-Bryan next …
And finally (and perhaps most unlikely) Whyte – as a mandatory WBC challenger – would enjoy meeting up with Anger.
With an undisputed mega-fight between Fury and Joshua in the pipeline, Whyte may have to wait for his leap to the world title.
Joshua and Fury have reportedly signed a two-fight deal for 2021, though Fury’s dad has put things down a bit this week by saying it may not happen.
“What did you sign? You didn’t sign anything in my eyes,” John Fury told BT Sport.
“Tyson has to fight twice this year, with or without AJ.”
Perhaps Fury-Whyte isn’t as unlikely as we might think?
Will Tyson-Holyfield III happen?
From the current heavyweights harvest to Division Legends, the show bout between former enemies Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield continued to dominate the boxing news last week.
In November, 54-year-old Tyson returned to the ring after 15 years for an eight-round show match with Roy Jones Jr.
Since then there has only been a third fight with the 58-year-old Holyfield.
Holyfield, who retired in 2014, hit Tyson twice in the 1990s, including the infamous second fight in which Tyson was disqualified for biting his opponent’s ear.
The two were reportedly to clash again on May 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which would mean millions of dollars for both men.
But, according to Holyfield, ‘Iron Mike’ has retired …
However, Tyson insists that the fight is still going on.
“Holyfield is a humble man, I know that. And he’s a man of God, but I’m God’s man,” he said on Instagram Live.
“And listen, I’ll be successful on May 29th.”
Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton
We’re going to leave you this week with a plug for a new BBC Three documentary.
He is an Olympic silver medalist, two-time world champion and was once the figurehead of British boxing.
And now Amir Khan is also the star of his own reality TV show …
You can watch every episode of “Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton” on the BBC iPlayer now.
It’s worth a watch; Khan is like him or always detests box office entertainment.
