Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte scrapped a fight with Otto Wallin this week due to an injury that will not give the Briton any lasting damage.
After Matchroom Boxing released a statement confirming the cancellation of the October 30 battle, immediate thoughts turned to why there is no mention of rescheduling.
Whyte and promoter Eddie Hearn have postponed fights before. They’ve reassured fans that those contests would happen a short period afterward.
With a massive mandatory against Tyson Fury looming this time around, no such plans are in place. That’s according to the information given.
Matchroom said: “A shoulder injury has forced Dillian Whyte to cancel his Interim WBC heavyweight title defense against Sweden’s Otto Wallin scheduled for The O2 in London on Saturday, October 30.
“The event, shown live worldwide on DAZN, will continue as planned. Chantelle Cameron’s (14-0, 8 KOs) WBC, IBF, and Ring Magazine Super-Lightweight Unification clash with the USA’s Mary McGee (27-3, 15 KOs) now topping the bill.”
DILLIAN WHYTE DAMAGE
The physician in charge of treating the injury, leading Sports and Exercise Medicine Consultant Dr. Harjinder Singh, got drafted in for extra assurances after skepticism from fans over how bad the damage is for Whyte.
Many detractors see it as Whyte avoiding facing Wallin so he can go immediately into the Fury mandatory.
“Dillian sustained a shoulder injury during training in preparation for his planned fight on October 30, 2021. I have assessed and confirmed with diagnostic imaging,” said the doctor before confirming Whyte should be well enough to compete again soon.
“I have treated the injury, but the injury will, unfortunately, prevent him from fighting on October 30, 2021. With immediate rest, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, there should be no enduring concerns.”
Offering “refunds at point of purchase” seems pretty final for the Whyte vs. Wallin headliner, despite promoter Dmitriy Salita’s threats to lobby the WBC.
Wallin’s handler wants the WBC to order Whyte to go through with the fight, certainly as a stipulation to becoming the official mandatory challenger.
CAMERON vs. MCGEE
Cameron vs. McGree takes the spotlight next week, with the rest of the card as follows:
‘The Savage’ Alen Babic (8-0, 8 KOs) clashes with two-time World Title challenger Eric Molina (28-7, 20 KOs) over eight rounds.
Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 KOs) returns to the ring against Poland’s Marek Matyja (20-2-2, 9 KOs) after pushing WBA Light-Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol in May.
Youssef Khoumari (13-0-1, 5 KOs) takes on Jorge David Castaneda (14-1, 11 KOs) for the vacant WBC International Silver Super-Featherweight Title.
‘The Romford Bull’ Johnny Fisher (3-0, 3 KOs) faces Spain’s Alvaro Terrero (5-13-2, 3 KOs) in front of over 1,000 of his fans.
Catford Super-Bantamweight Ellie Scotney (2-0) squares off against Eva Cantos (2-1) in her first fight with new trainer Shane McGuigan.
Manchester Cruiserweight Jordan Thompson (10-0, 8 KOs) makes his Matchroom debut against Poland’s Piotr Podlucki (6-5, 2 KOs).
Takeley Light-Heavyweight prospect John Hedges (3-0) meets Antony Woolery (2-7) over four rounds.
Furthermore, Dublin Heavyweight Thomas Carty (1-0) has his second professional fight.
The views expressed in this article are opinions of Phil Jay.
