Deontay Wilder has serious concerns about fighting Anthony Joshua in the UK, following the doping case involving Dillian Whyte.
Whyte was allowed to fight Oscar Rivas in July despite discrepancies surrounding a urine sample he had provided a month before.
‘The Body Snatcher’ won the fight by unanimous decision to take the WBC interim heavyweight title but later had it provisionally suspended pending investigation by UK Anti-Doping.
‘Potentially Criminal’
UKAD’s investigation concluded last week, with the 31-year-old being exonerated of any wrongdoing just 24 hours before he defeated Mariusz Wach.
But Wilder’s trainer Jay Deas says the way things were handled has raised serious concerns in Wilder’s camp. He labelled Whyte’s case as ‘potentially criminal’ and said it casts a shadow on British Boxing.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Deas said: “I would certainly be concerned given the Dillian Whyte situation.”
“I know that they cleared him of the drug thing but still, when they had a positive result, and did not tell the opponent, that’s problematic.”
“I think that’s potentially criminal.”
“That’s a big, big issue for me.”
“Also the fact that Dillian changed gloves without the other side being able to examine the gloves.”
“So there would have to be a lot of things that we would have to talk about relative to the BBBoC and making sure that it was a level playing field because those things were horribly handled, and, in my opinion, set British boxing back quite a few years.”
‘Questions Need to Be Answered’
Wilder is set to defend his heavyweight title against Tyson Fury in February but a showdown with Joshua has long been on the cards.
Joshua recently beat Andy Ruiz Jr to regain the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles.
Should Wilder beat Fury and defend his WBC title, it’s highly likely that he and AJ will once more look to go head-to-head in a unification bout.
But Deas isn’t happy with the prospect of the fight being staged in the UK, and says questions need to be answered before Wilder’s camp would consider making the trip.
He continued: “England has never had that reputation, thankfully, but the Dillian Whyte-Oscar Rivas fight did not help and I think those questions need to be answered.”
Interestingly, Whyte’s exoneration means he’s now reinstated as the mandatory challenger for the ‘Bronze Bomber’s’ WBC title.
The WBC announced that after considering the circumstances Whyte would be reinstalled as the number one contender for the belt. A title challenge is set to take place in February 2021.
‘Disappointed’
The British Boxing Board Of Control (BBBoC) have reacted negatively to the comments.
BBBoC General Secretary Robert Smith said: “We’re disappointed in the comments.”
“All the anti-doping procedures in this country are carried out by UKAD and we carry out their rulings.”
“The gloves used on the evening are approved by the BBBoC so we have no argument with that. They’re gloves that everybody is well aware of”
“We find no substance in that discussion at all.”
“Mr Wilder has boxed in Britain previously and was looked after well and would be looked after well again this time.”
With Wilder to face Fury, Joshua due for two mandatory title defences and Whyte back in contention, a unification bout is far from set in stone, as the world waits to see if the pair can succesfully defend their respective titles in 2020.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Deontay Wilder and Sky Sports)