Whyte noise: How Dillian has faded into the background of the heavyweight division

A week on from Tyson Fury’s triumph in Vegas, Wilder has officially triggering the rematch clause.

Meaning Dillian Whyte (31) will have to wait even longer for a world title shot.

Soon after the fight, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn was on Twitter congratulating Tyson and his team. He followed this up with the tweet seen below:

It appeared as if Hearn had completely forgotten about the WBC interim champion who is part of Matchroom’s star-studded current stable.

Whyte has been the number one contender for the WBC title for more than 800 days now.

Why hasn't Whyte fought for a world title yet? Has he been hung out to dry by Eddie Hearn & Matchroom?

His Record

One thing that isn’t keeping Dillian Whyte away from a world title is his record, which is elite among heavyweights. He’s stepped into the ring 28 times, emerging victorious all but once. With 18 of “The Body Snatcher’s” 27 wins coming by way of knock-out.

His only defeat was at the hands of the current WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO title holder Anthony Joshua back in 2015. However, this was not the first time the two entered the ring together.

They met as amateurs back in 2009. It was an extremely entertaining bout which saw Joshua hit the canvas. Whyte was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

The pair turned professional shortly after and met again in 2015. The two London natives battled it out for the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight title, as the main event in front of a packed out O2 arena.

It was evident from the first bell that this fight wouldn’t go the distance. In the first round it looked like it would be light work for AJ, dishing out punishing shots from the get-go.

Whyte caught Joshua with a counter left hook in the 2nd Round, he followed up with a barrage of shots. It seemed he was just one punch away from putting Joshua down but he was left wanting.

Joshua recovered and the fight was waved off in the 7th Round following an impressive display from AJ.

Outside of the AJ fight, Whyte has had too much power for each opponent he’s faced. His recent record is not padded out with bums either.

He has fought some dangerous fighters, two gruelling fights with Chisora, the second of which was ended by one of the most brutal K.O’s ever seen.

Convincing points victories over Parker and Rivas, in both fights he had to pick himself up off the canvas. His record definitely matches up against any other heavyweight challenger, the only thing lacking is a title fight.

Eddie Hearn

He’s the man in boxing that everybody loves to hate. Picture a boxing promoter...Now they’re probably from New York and have a cigar hanging out of their mouth.

Eddie Hearn is cut from a different cloth.

Son of Matchroom founder & chairman and famed promoter (Boxing, Darts, Snooker) Barry. In recent years, Eddie has been given the reigns at Matchroom Boxing. His ascent to the public figure that dominates our twitter feed today, began around 2010.

A chance meeting with Audley Harrison led to Hearn offering to rebuild his career. Hearn delivered on this promise, Harrison eventually got a shot at a world title against David Haye.

Harrison was comprehensively beaten within 3 rounds landing just one punch. This looked like it might be the end of Hearn’s career as a boxing promoter.

But instead, a flurry of calls from fighters followed. Asking Eddie if he could build their career in the same fashion he rebuilt Audley’s.

Since then, Hearn has been a powerful force in British and world boxing. Putting on shows which have sold out Wembley, provided numerous British champions and also represents international superstars such as Gennady Golovkin.

His current crop of fighters contains world champions and rising stars. With no fighter hungrier for success than Dillian Whyte.

Joshua has always been Hearn’s golden boy. He is “box office”, a style that appeals to boxing purists with the power and finishing ability to end a fight at any moment. AJ sells out stadiums & arenas wherever he goes.

Whyte’s style might not be as easy on the eye, but it’s extremely entertaining. A Dillian Whyte fight guarantees action, heavy shots and somebody hitting the canvas.

“The Bodysnatcher” is a dangerous fighter, he will be a problem for anyone who enters the ring with him.

Boxing Politics

It’s not as easy to make fights in modern boxing. TV companies with differing rights in different countries, not to Mention th rise of the DAZN platform, Different promoters, Disagreement over splits, Disagreement over location, Different boxing organisations can all get in the way of making some of the best fights happen.

The umbrella term for all of this is “Boxing Politics”, a word which is brought up constantly when discussing why Whyte is yet to fight for the WBC title.

The WBC and Dillian have locked horns over a number of things. From money to a suspension over a failed drugs test. But one thing still remains, Whyte has not fought for a world championship.

Dillian knows his worth and doesn’t want to risk his body and his livelihood for anything less than he should. He knows he is a draw and anybody who has watched him fight will agree.

But the WBC has a framework in place and sticks to it rigidly. Without necessarily considering what is best for fighters or fight fans.

With a further fight between Fury and Wilder scheduled, Joshua is looking set to face a mandatory challenger in Kubrat Pulev.

With the expected winners (Fury & AJ) to face each other for the undisputed title. This would be the biggest fight in the history of British boxing. Fans hope everything falls into place and this fight can get made.

You can't help but feel sorry for Dillian. He is consistently overlooked by the WBC, his fellow fighters and now his own promoter.

800+ days in waiting and it appears he is still 3/4 fights away from a title shot. Dillian Whyte is not getting any younger and with the WBC deciding he would not be made mandatory until February of 2020. The fight he so craves seems an age away.