Tyson Fury’s contentious world heavyweight championship defence against Dillian Whyte goes to purse bids in Mexico City on January 11 with the fight set for late March or early April in the UK.
The Gypsy King’s homecoming and Whyte’s long awaited world title shot is surely confirmed by the WBC’s announcement on Thursday night.
The protracted wrangle over the split of the multi-million pounds purse appears to have been settled without Whyte having to go through with his arbitration case against the WBC to enforce his right to a mandatory challenge.
Tyson’s promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have been demanding an 80 per cent to 20 per cent split in his favour as champion.
Fury had been looking for an alternative non title defence in March against either another Joshua conqueror Andy Ruiz Jr or Scandinavian puncher Robert Hellenius.
Team Whyte wanted 35 per cent or a huge guaranteed sum. The likelihood is that Whyte will receive somewhere between his demand for a £10 million flat fee and Team Fury’s opening offer of £5.5 million.
Fury has tired of waiting for Anthony Joshua to accept millions to step aside from his spring rematch of Olexsandr Usyk and thus let the Gypsy King fight Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Now the winners of Fury-Whyte and Usyk-Joshua will be expected to fight in late summer.
The winner of that mega-fight will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis and the first of the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO four belt era.
This settlement does not give the boxing public the instant outcome it craved but it will bring clarity to the confused heavyweight scene in due course.
Fury v Whyte is likely to take place in either the Manchester Arena or under the roof of Cardiff ‘s Principality Stadium.
Fury had been looking for an alternative non title defence in March against either another Joshua conqueror Andy Ruiz Jr or Scandinavian puncher Robert Hellenius.
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