Dillian Whyte and Oscar Rivas will indeed have a chance to become the final mandatory challenger to the WBC heavyweight title, currently being held by Deontay Wilder.
Days after Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said the upcoming main event to the July 20 DAZN show would be for an interim title, the WBC followed suit and made the added stipulations official. Below is the official statement from the WBC:
“The World Boxing Council and Matchroom Boxing are delighted to confirm that Saturday’s bout between Dillian Whyte (25-1 18 KOs) and Oscar Rivas (26-0 18 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London will be contested for the WBC Interim World Heavyweight Championship.
The winner of the bout will become Mandatory Challenger for the WBC Heavyweight World Championship, currently held by Deontay Wilder.”
The winner of Whyte vs. Rivas getting an immediate shot at Wilder is more than likely not happening given Wilder’s current plans. As it stands, Wilder is headed for a rematch against Luis Ortiz before the end of the year and if Wilder’s victorious, he’ll likely prepare for a rematch against Tyson Fury in the first half of 2020.
Whyte had been asking for the WBC to name him the mandatory challenger to its heavyweight title for some time as he has been ranked No. 1 in the sanctioning body’s rankings for several months. Ever since he lost to Anthony Joshua in 2015, Whyte has gone on to win nine straight fights and captured the WBC Silver title.
Rivas is unbeaten as a pro but his stock rose significantly after stopping Bryant Jennings in the 12th round of their ESPN+ main event back in January. The 32-year-old Colombian is ranked in the top 10 of all four major governing bodies’ (WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF) rankings at heavyweight and is ranked No. 10 by the WBC.
