WBC Heavyweight Pros and Cons of Fury vs. Whyte in 2022
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
With Anthony Joshua facing a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for his share of the World Heavyweight title in 2022, and fellow British compatriot Dillian Whyte holding out for a high 10 million pounds price tag to fight Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder silent for the moment, Tyson Fury’s camp is contemplating two new options for early 2022.
One option is for Fury, 31-0-1, Henderson, Nevada, to fight against “The Nordic Nightmare” Robert Helenius, 31-3 with 20 knockouts, Mariehamn, Finland. Helenius, having defeated top-ranked contender Adam Kownacki twice impressively, actually merits a world title opportunity bout at this point in his career. A bout with Fury, therefore, would be a career-defining moment for Helenius, and the payday would probably be the best of his entire career.
The other option on the table is for Fury to fight against former World Heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr., 34-2 with 22 knockouts, Imperial, California. Ruiz does have a comeback win over Chris Arreola after going 1-1 with Anthony Joshua. Ruiz deserves a world title opportunity against either Fury, the winner of Joshua-Usyk II, or an eliminator bout with Deontay Wilder in the least. Any bout with Fury would offer a great payday. Andy is more likely to seek a world title bout because he is still in the hunt towards regaining his world title in terms of a third rubber match with Joshua.
Bob Arum is Fury’s American promoter, and clearly Fury is the biggest thing in professional boxing today, as even bigger draw than Canelo Alvarez. The third alternative is for Fury to fight an unexpected wild card, like a Michael Hunter, Kubrat Pulev, the winner of Luis Ortiz versus Charles Martin, Frank Sanchez, Joe Joyce, or Daniel Dubois. Joshua is not stepping aside so Usyk can unify with Fury, as Joshua wants the Fury bout. Joshua having been beaten by Ruiz and Usyk, his stock has dropped considerably. Whyte went 1-1 with Alexander Povetkin, and he is not worth the sky-high price tag he is seeking for the Fury bout.
Look, Fury is a big draw no matter how you shake it. Whoever you put Fury in with, people are going to want to watch the PPV. As Fury is now in practical residence in the Las Vegas area, Fury is, for all intents and purposes a Vegas casino fighter. Las Vegas is where the action is. During the Pandemic, the world wants class entertainment. Whyte is the World Boxing Council mandatory challenger, but his price tag, for now, is too high.
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