WBC rules Fury-Wilder 3 winner must face Oleksandr Usyk or Whyte-Wallin winner next

Whoever wins Saturday’s trilogy match between between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder won’t have much time to celebrate. The WBC declared yesterday that the winner has 30 days to set up an undisputed clash with IBF/WBA/WBO titlist Oleksandr Usyk; “[i]f no unification bout is secured within that time, the winner of Fury v. Wilder 3 must then fight next against the then reigning WBC Interim Heavyweight Champion.”

Usyk almost certainly has a rematch with Anthony Joshua up next, so we can safely assume that the first option isn’t on the table.

Said interim title will be on the line this coming 30th when its current owner, Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KO), takes on Otto Wallin (22-1, 14 KO) in London. “The Body Snatcher” has a long and sordid history with the WBC, having once spent several years as the mandatory challenger before losing his status to Alexander Povetkin; it would be disappointing, but not terribly surprising, to see him just cancel the Wallin fight to avoid a repeat.

Fingers crossed he isn’t once bitten, twice shy.