DILLIAN WHYTE’S shock defeat to Alexander Povetkin has paved the way for Anthony Joshua to face Tyson Fury “without any obstacles”.
Whyte, 32, saw his WBC mandatory status go up in smoke after Povetkin, 40, upset the Brit with a stunning fifth round knockout.
It means Fury, 31, is free to fight Joshua, 30, in an undisputed title decider – so long as they both avoid defeat.
AJ defends his unified titles against Kubrat Pulev, 39, Deontay Wilder, 34, challenges Fury in an immediate rematch.
Promoter Bob Arum told iFL TV: “If Pulev doesn’t beat Joshua and Fury is able to again beat Wilder, then we can look forward without any obstacles to a Fury vs Joshua fight, which is the biggest heavyweight match of our time.”
Whyte had been standing in the way of the two heavyweight champions meeting in a mega-fight.
But after over a 1,000 days as the WBC’s No1 ranked challenger, he will now have to avenge defeat against Povetkin before dreaming of his long-awaited title shot.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed Whyte will activate his rematch clause and wants the fight before the year’s out.
Hearn said: “We have a rematch clause. The first thing Dillian said when he came out was ‘Get me that rematch, get me that rematch’.
“We have a rematch clause. We will look to make that at the end of the year.
“It’s a huge fight. It’s a very dangerous fight, obviously back to back defeats for Dillian Whyte throws a different shade on it.”
