Dillian Whyte to face Colombian Oscar Rivas at Greenwich’s 02 in July
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Dillian Whyte will face Oscar Rivas at The 02 in Greenwich on July 20.
The Brixton heavyweight is ranked number one by the WBC governing body – putting him in line for a crack at champion Deontay Wilder.
Whyte, 31, has won nine in a row since losing a thriller to Anthony Joshua, who has since gone on to win multiple versions of the world titles.
The South Londoner’s record stands at 25-1. Colombian Rivas has a perfect 26-0 fight ledger but has mixed in nowhere near the same class as Whyte – who has chained together high-profile victories over Dereck Chisora, Joseph Parker and Lucas Browne.
But Rivas did knock out former world title challenger Bryant Jennings in January and is ranked fifth by the WBO and WBA, seventh by the IBF and 10th by the WBC.
Whyte said: “I am very happy to be fighting again at The O2 in July.
“Oscar Rivas is undefeated and ranked in the top 10 across the board of all the governing bodies. He has been one of the most avoided heavyweight fighters in the last few years.
“His KO victory over Bryant Jennings sent shockwaves through the division and Tyson Fury just turned down ESPN/Top Rank’s offer to fight him. I am over the moon that he has accepted the fight. He has a great amateur and professional record, including a win over Kubrat Pulev.
“I am more than happy to carry on fighting top-10 fighters like Rivas until I get my well-earned shot at Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua.”
Rivas said: “Dillian Whyte is an excellent boxer, a world-class fighter and the number one contender. He deserve all my respect for his accomplishments and I am grateful for the opportunity he is giving me.
“This is exactly the kind of challenge I was hoping to get. I am undefeated, I am planning to keep my perfect record after July 20 in my quest to get the ultimate opportunity to become world champion.”
Brixton middleweight John Harding Jr outpointed Mirsoslav Juna to progress to 7-0-1 on Saturday night.
