WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has revealed that Tyson Fury has been instructed to face Dillian Whyte to decide Deontay Wilder’s next mandatory challenger.

However, Sulaiman also admitted Whyte has initially refused to accept the order from the WBC, and instead wants his July 20 clash with Columbian Oscar Rivas to be considered the final eliminator.

The Brixton heavyweight is risking his No 1 status with the WBC against Rivas, and has been frustrated that the governing body controversially awarded Dominic Breazeale the mandatory shot at Wilder, which will take place on May 18 in New York.

The 30-year-old has an extended history with ‘The Bronze Bomber’ and has been the No 1 challenger for his belt since 2017 – but is yet to receive a world title fight.

‘The Body Snatcher’ is also ranked top by the WBO, although Oleksandr Usyk is all set to become the new WBO mandatory challenger, after the undisputed cruiserweight champion stepped up to heavyweight.

Sulaiman recently spoke on the ThaBoxingVoice podcast regarding Whyte’s decision to reject the ordered bout with Fury:

"When that fight [Wilder vs Fury rematch] falls through, the WBC goes back to the original mandate from the convention, saying that the winner or Wilder vs Fury has to do the mandatory against Breazeale.

“So we go back to then, and then we order Whyte against Fury – if both win their corresponding fights – for the mandatory position.

“That decision was not accepted by Whyte, so the WBC is now handling Dillian Whyte’s appeal, and we will resolve it in the coming weeks.

“His petition to the WBC is to be the mandatory contender without fighting a final elimination. The WBC’s position was to order him and Fury to fight for the interim title and for the mandatory position.

“So we are trying to do several big fights – I’m sure that Whyte vs Fury is a huge fight as well – to create these great fights in the heavyweight division."

Fury, meanwhile, will be licking his chops at another crack at the Alabama-native after their December 1 blockbuster ended in a controversial draw.

The two vowed to secure a swift rematch this year, but ‘The Gypsy King’ penned a mega-money deal with ESPN, killing the second instalment of the mega-fight as Wilder is backed by rival broadcasters Showtime.

Fury will take on relatively unknown German heavyweight Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas on June 15 and views the clash as a warm-up for a potential blockbuster at the end of the year.

There has been much scrutiny over the selection of the undefeated 24-year-old, however, Schwarz has admitted he has nothing to lose and vowed to stun the world with a remarkable upset.

Should the proposed all-British fight of Fury v Whyte go ahead, it could be ‘The Gypsy King’s’ penultimate chance to thrill the boxing world, after the giant Mancunian hinted at an early retirement from the sport after his next three fights.