Dillian Whyte could fight Deontay Wilder for world title if Tyson Fury vacates WBC belt

Promoter Bob Arum has hinted that Fury could walk away from his WBC heavyweight title

Dillian Whyte could be left to face Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight title - if Tyson Fury vacates the belt in order to face Oleksandr Usyk next year.

Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum has said that the ‘Gypsy King’ has been left frustrated by the delay in setting up the defence of his WBC title against mandatory challenger Whyte.

“If we can’t come to a deal with Dillian Whyte, we’ll do a fight for the Ring Magazine belt and the ‘lineal’ title and we’ll pick another opponent,” Arum told talkSPORT. “We’ve got to get Tyson back in the ring by the end of March.”

Fury was ordered to face WBC interim title holder Whyte after he knocked out Wilder in October to defend his championship and complete the pair’s trilogy.

Whyte has been seeking a title shot for years but has not fought since March, where he avenged his defeat to Alexander Povetkin. He was scheduled to face Otto Wallin but withdrew from the late October bout due to injury.

Wilder, meanwhile, has retained his No. 1 ranking with the WBC despite being knocked out by Fury in each of his last two fights. The American has yet to announce his next fight and has hinted at retirement, but a shot at reclaiming his title could appeal to the 36-year-old.

Fury would be tempted to walk away from his WBC title defence if he had a chance of facing WBA, WBO and IBF champion Usyk next year. The undefeated Ukrainian is set to face Anthony Joshua in a rematch, but ‘AJ’ has revealed that he could step aside to allow Usyk and Fury to meet in an undisputed world title fight.

If Usyk's rematch with Joshua goes ahead as planned, Fury could be left defending his Ring Magazine and lineal titles against the likes of Joseph Parker or Andy Ruiz Jr next March while he waits for his shot.

That could leave Whyte and Wilder free to face each other for the WBC title as the top two ranked contenders in the division.