It’s been confirmed that Tyson Fury doesn’t have a mandatory challenger for his heavyweight title due to ongoing legal complications between Dillian Whyte and the WBC.
Whyte expected to be announced as the mandatory challenger for Fury the other week, but now it appears he’ll have to wait a little longer to see If he can his hands on the Gypsy King.
The Jamaican-born fighter has been told he has to wait for the result of his arbitration before he can even think about stepping into the ring and challenging again.
With no way of knowing how long this case will drag on, it’s now been confirmed that Fury won’t be waiting around – meaning technically Fury doesn’t have a mandatory challenger for his next fight.
“We’re not going to be sitting around waiting for the arbitration,” Explained Frank Warren to iFL TV.
“Tyson made it very clear he wants to fight in February or early March, and we will make sure that happens.
“We can’t sit around waiting for him, but in the meantime, Tyson says he wants to get out, and we’re looking at options, and he will fight around the end of February or early March.
“Tyson Fury WILL be back in the ring by late February or early March. Due to the legal wranglings involving Dillian Whyte, Tyson does NOT have a mandatory call to answer and is free to proceed with a defence of his belt, and it’s a fight I’d like to stage in the UK.”
So, with Dillian Whyte out the picture, Fury will turn his attention to a voluntary defence – with the most likely candidate looking like Joe Joyce.
Joe ‘Juggernaut’ Joyce seems to be the best fit for Fury. It would be a fight staged in the UK and would also be of a decent standard for a return after having only one fight in 22 months.
Joyce currently has a 13 – 0 professional record, with 12 of these ending in knockouts – so this won’t be a straightforward affair for Fury.
The pair are also reported to be very good friends, which adds to the interest of how things would pan out in the ring.
Whoever the heavyweight champion fights in early 2022, one thing is for certain – boxing fans all over the globe will be ecstatic to see the Gypsy King back in action.