I respect Whyte for being prepared to take other fights but the guy is a defeat waiting to happen. He already has a brutal KO loss on his record to AJ, I had Chisora beating him in their first fight and even more comfortably ahead in their second. He was also very close to being stopped by a sleep walking Joseph Parker. I honestly don’t think he fancies the rematch with AJ and would prefer a title shot via Wilder or Fury as the WBC mandatory. Even then both stop him. Wilder ends him early and Fury jabs him to a slow death.
I get the feeling that whyte is happy to remain A side over other B sides than risk it all for 5m with AJ. He could probably make more than that with a Breazeale and maybe a Joseph parker rematch which are more winnable fights. Contrary to eddie beliefs that whyte is backing himself to increase his value, he is actually making the smarter choice of making more money and increasing his value at the same time without losing credibility.
If he thought he could win he would snap that offer up, he knows he's getting whipped and wants paid.
Whyte is one of my favourite fighters but I've lost respect for him. Whyte has turned down the chance of being the number 1 HW and a career high pay day for what? Ego, pure and simple. As have Wilder and Fury.
You can easily whip that round the other way and say that if AJ was so sure he can win then why is he concerned about stacking a rematch purse split in his favour? Whyte is actually confident he will win and that’s why he wants the right to the lion’s share of the rematch purse - that’s the point of contention in these negotiations.
The probably is for Whyte he isn't actually that good and has to be careful he doesn't get knocked out till he gets Joshua Parker had him out near enough Chisora beat him in the first fight Chisora was out pointing him in the second
Business wise it probably makes sense for him to wait til the second half of the year. But what if Fury/Wilder v Joshua is made? He could easily be waiting til 2020 for a title fight now. Another loss to Joshua wouldn't be the end of the world for him. He could still be a top 5 heavyweight pretty quickly.
I felt exactly the same as you, I also feel like he’s a defeat waiting to happen...but he just keeps pulling it out of the bag though. I’ve criticised him so much but I saw something in that second Chisora fight...he didn’t seem troubled or fussed despite being down on the cards. He wobbled him in first round and it was like he knew he could get him again whenever he wanted. I wanted Chisora to win so badly to end the hype and end the self entitlement that Whyte seems to have...but that left hand, it’s legit. You don’t spark out Chisora unless you carry serious power but not only that, he waited and waited for the perfect chance to land it and he did. I would fancy AJ, Wilder, Fury, Ortiz, Pulev (in Bulgaria), Joyce and Parker (in the rematch) to all beat him, however, Whyte could finish the fight if he landed that left hand and he’s getting more proficient at landing it with each fight.
Bottom line is he's given up the chance to win 3 of the 4 HW titles in one go and also make some very good money. He may not get this chance again. As others have said he could easily lose his next fight and quickly be out of the picture. Also if he's wanting to become WBC mandatory by beating Breazeale, what if Fury beats Wilder in the rematch, which i think he has a good chance of doing . Fury's style is all wrong for Whyte . I'd give Whyte a better chance against Joshua than Fury. I think he's made a bad decision.
I see your point and I don't get why AJ needs that but he's turning the chance down to claim three belts and the 5 million would be a bonus on top imo. Whyte needs to ask himself is he in boxing for the money or to become heavyweight champion.
Whyte is improving all the time but he still loses handily to AJ at this point. A couple years down the line that fight would be relevant again. Another KO loss to AJ is just going to derail his momentum.
I tip my hat to him, he's turned down a career higher payday, knowing fine rightly that he'll have to fight 1-3 more times before that fight becomes a possibility again. He's taking a massive gamble but I respect him because he really backs himself, good to see and I hope he doesn't end up with egg on his face. By the same token, better the £5 million in the hand than the two in the bush... I do wonder though, the Klitschkos always had rematch clauses, does anyone believe for one second that they wouldn't be entitled to the lion's share in the rematch? I suppose they very rarely fought 'PPV' fighters... strange times we live in when a triple belt holder, PPV and stadium machine has to negotiate terms.
Of course they don't. They know Floyd would get the majority split if he lost. Lewis got more when he rematched Rahman. McGregor will get more if he fights Khabib again. Pacquiao would of got more if he rematched Horn. To try and paint a picture of AJ doing something out of the ordinary is anti AJ agenda driven.
