Highly ranked heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte has options, and so too does Lucas Browne. Eddie Hearn’s plan is to match the two together in London next February, but Browne, one win removed from his suspension for a failed drugs test (“Big Daddy” actually twice testing positive for a banned substance) could get a shot at reigning WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker instead.
Parker is of course negotiating with Hearn for a unification fight with WBA/IBF ruler Anthony Joshua, but if this fight fails to get made, Browne may enter the Parker picture and fight the New Zealander himself. If this happens then obviously the Browne-Whyte fight will take a powder. But if it does happen, at The O2 early next year, Whyte, 22-1(16) Vs. Browne, 25-0(22) would almost certainly result in a dandy of a fight.
Hearn spoke to Sky Sports about the possible match-up:
“He’s going to return, it looks like February 3 at The O2,” Hearn said of Whyte. “We’re looking for a big fight. He may fight Lucas Browne, particularly if Joshua gets the Parker fight, because Browne is in the mix for that one too. I think he’s (Whyte) one fight away from a world title fight now. 2018 will see Dillian Whyte challenge for a world heavyweight title.”
Hearn pointed out how Whyte is currently ranked at number-one with the WBC, 6 or 7 with the WBA and 3 or 4 with the IBF, along with being ranked in the WBO top-10. But Whyte wants to keep busy, and whether it’s Browne or somebody else in February, Hearn does say the plan is for a “big fight.”
From a fan perspective, Browne-Whyte is a good one to make. Both men have a style that usually results in an action fight (we can forget Whyte’s dull points win over a reluctant Robert Helenius last time out) and as a final eliminator, this one makes all the sense in the world.
Bring it on if you can, Eddie. Of course, no-one could blame Browne for taking that shot at Parker should it be made available to him.
Let’s see if that Joshua-Parker unification clash actually gets signed.
