MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tyson Fury’s next defense of his world heavyweight title looks set to be against a fellow Briton.
Dillian Whyte was declared Tuesday by the World Boxing Council as the mandatory challenger to Fury.
“The WBC hereby orders the start of the free negotiations period” between the two fighters, the organization said in a tweet.
Fury retained his WBC belt by beating Deontay Wilder in October to complete their trilogy.
Whyte holds the WBC interim title and pulled out of his scheduled fight with Otto Wallin in late October, citing a shoulder injury. By then, the WBC had already announced plans to order Fury to defend his belt against its interim titleholder.
If the fight with Fury is secured, it would be Whyte’s first shot at a world title.
Oleksandr Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO belts after beating Anthony Joshua on points last month. They are due to have a rematch early next year.
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