Tyson Fury has been ordered to defend his WBC heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte
Eddie Hearn has suggested that the fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte is now unlikely to happen in March, with the purse bids delayed until Friday.
Whyte, the mandatory challenger for Fury’s WBC heavyweight title, has so far been unable to agree terms after the WBC ruled that the champion would take 80% of the purse.
Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren had suggested a target date of 26 March for the high-profile heavyweight battle, but Hearn believes that is now unlikely.
Speaking to the 5 Live Boxing podcast, Hearn said: “People keep talking about March dates – that’s starting to look unrealistic for a fight of this magnitude.
“Either March, April, early May potentially. This is the window for the fight. [It] depends what happens this week.
“There are so many conversations going on behind the scenes right now. Something could turn at any moment.”
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Whyte had been left aggrieved by the WBC’s decision to split the purse so significantly in the favour of Fury, adding to existing frustration over the delay in the 33-year-old receiving a title fight opportunity.
He has not boxed competitively since winning his rematch with Alexander Povetkin in March of last year.
Hearn insisted that Whyte will get the chance take on Fury, but said that a fair purse split must be agreed.
“You’re talking about a lot of money – a difference of 25%,” Hearn said about the issue.
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“The normal split for any mandatory challenger is a lot more than 80/20. The normal split for an interim champion is up to 45%. We feel in terms of the commercial value of Dillian Whyte and the time he’s had to wait, 80/20 is quite ridiculous really.
“[It] looks like Dillian Whyte will definitely get his shot at the WBC title, but we have to fight for his rights and make sure it’s fair. It’s not going to stand in the way of the fight.”
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