Dillian Whyte will attempt to push his claims for a showdown against Tyson Fury by taking on the WBC heavyweight champion's former opponent Otto Wallin at London's O2 Arena next month.
Whyte lost his position as the WBC's mandatory challenger after being brutally knocked out by Alexander Povetkin in August last year but he clinically avenged the setback, stopping the Russian veteran inside five rounds in March.
And the Londoner will be looking to make a statement on October 30 – three weeks after Fury defends his crown in a rearranged trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder – when he goes up against the now highly-rated Wallin.
LET'S GO BABY!!! Big time boxing back @TheO2 – October 30 @DillianWhyte takes on @OttoWallin on a huge night of boxing live and exclusive on @daznboxing 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hqE80WY9wm — Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) September 16, 2021
The Swede was something of an unknown when he took on Fury two years ago but he inflicted a gruesome cut over his rival's eye which almost ended the bout before Fury eventually sealed a unanimous decision win.
Wallin rebounded to the only defeat of a 24-fight professional career – with 22 wins and one no-contest – by stopping Travis Kauffman last year and outpointing two-time world title challenger Dominic Breazeale in February.
Wallin's bout against Whyte will be for the WBC interim title.
Si vis pacem, para bellum (Classical Latin: [siː wiːs ˈpaːkẽː ˈpara ˈbɛllũː]) is a Latin adage translated as "If you want peace, prepare for war". pic.twitter.com/RN1mEW3Lt1 — Derek Chisora 🥊 (@DerekWarChisora) September 16, 2021
Meanwhile, Derek Chisora, who has twice been beaten by Whyte, will face Joseph Parker on December 18 at the AO Arena in Manchester in a rematch of their contest in March which was won by the New Zealander by split decision.
Parker, the former WBO heavyweight champion, collected his fifth-successive win after getting up from a first-round knockdown to edge out Chisora, who has a record of 32 wins and 11 defeats in his professional career.
