Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
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Dillian Whyte’s fourth-round knockout of Alexander Povetkin on Saturday has restored the Londoner’s positioning as a future world title contender. However, with current heavyweight rulers Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury set to face each other and unify, it makes Whyte’s immediate next step uncertain.
So with his promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealing he hopes to get Whyte back in action as early as this summer, who will be next for “The Body Snatcher”?
Here are some things to consider, as well as interesting betting odds on the situation.
WILL DILLIAN WHYTE’S NEXT BOUT BE FOR A WORLD TITLE?
Although Whyte has regained the “interim” WBC title and is likely to be installed as the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger (Fury is the current titleholder), Hearn evidently wants to get his man one more “keep-busy” fight before they attempt to muscle in on the championship picture.
If A.J. and Fury fight twice in succession, one or more sanctioning bodies might pull their belts after the first meeting because of the time involved.
So if Whyte takes a safe challenge around the time of Joshua-Fury I, he could be in position to fight for the vacant WBC belt after that. In fact, he could even be elevated by the body to full champion.
However, that scenario precludes an attractive fight between Whyte and Deontay Wilder from happening next. And maybe that’s for the best, since the American could also really use a fight to shake off rust from a year-plus absence from the ring.
WHO WOULD BE DILLIAN WHYTE’S ‘KEEP-BUSY’ OPPONENT?
The heavyweight ranks feature a large number of respectable second-tier competitors that could give Whyte extra rounds while he waits for his world title opportunity. And as long as such a fight isn’t the main event of a pay-per-view card — as both Povetkin fights were in the U.K. — it would be fair enough.
In fact, Whyte blasting a 15th-20th-ranked adversary on the undercard of Fury-Joshua I before calling out the winner and/or Wilder would be a productive use of an undercard few will care about while keeping the narrative fresh in viewers’ minds.
COULD DILLIAN WHYTE’S NEXT FIGHT BE A BIG ONE, INSTEAD?
Certainly. And with a tinge of doubt surrounding the Joshua-Fury talks, Whyte could hold out hope of either man being available to him instead of each other or of the WBC losing patience and favoring Whyte vs. Wilder sooner rather than later.
The latest Betfair odds lean toward Whyte facing a formidable foe such as Luis Ortiz or Andy Ruiz Jr. next, while Wilder, Joshua and Fury all have tempting value under the circumstances. The current favorite is Poland’s Adam Kownacki, who is ranked sixth by the WBA and has a 20-1 record that lacks names any bigger than Chris Arreola and Charles Martin.
ODDS ON DILLIAN WHYTE’S NEXT OPPONENT
- Adam Kownacki: 5-4
- Luis Ortiz: 3-1
- Deontay Wilder: 9-2
- Andy Ruiz Jr: 6-1
- Tyson Fury: 10-1
- Anthony Joshua: 14-1
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