Dillian Whyte is ready to take on Deontay Wilder or Andy Ruiz Jr after defeating Alexander Povetkin, according to former boxer Barry Jones.
The 32-year-old British fighter knocked out the Russian in the fourth round of Saturday’s ‘Rumble on the Rock’ in Gibraltar as they went toe-to-toe in the ring for a rescheduled rematch after Whyte was beaten by Povetkin last summer.
However, after exacting his revenge, Welshman Jones believes Whyte, who was mandatory for the WBC belt, a status he has now regained, will be confident and ready to take on Wilder or Ruiz Jr.
Asked who he expects the ‘Body Snatcher’ will take on next, Jones told the Betfred Boxing Show, “To be fair to him, he would pick the fight that gives him the most money. If that’s the more difficult fight, just the way he is, I think he would pick that anyway. I don’t think he’s shy of a fight.
“I would like (Deontay) Wilder or (Andy) Ruiz Jr, I think those two fights would be exciting, intriguing and there's no guaranteed winner for either one of them to be honest even though Wilder was bullied out of the fight against Tyson Fury, I don't think Whyte has that skillset though he can be more aggressive of course and Ruiz is a clever fighter who can take the shot and can fire back under pressure so that gives little warnings also.”
Jones believes Whyte should look for the next available fight sooner rather than later as opposed to taking on the might of Fury or Joshua who are set to fight this year in a mouth-watering bout and reckons the Jamaica-born boxer could get the better of the American or Mexican fighter.
“I would half fancy Dillian Whyte to do a job on both but they will be a step up and also it would keep him relevant,” said Jones. “That wait that he had for the world title shot, which fell apart after the first Povetkin fight, I don’t think you can chase the belts anymore. I think boxing is becoming like that, that if you chase the belts could mean you're sat on the sidelines forever.
“If Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua do fight this year, which might not happen, they have an automatic rematch; even if those belts become fragmented, Dillian fights for a belt he becomes a ‘title holder’ by name but he’s still not regarded as the best because he has to fight one of those (Fury or Joshua) so he might as well look for the biggest fights for him now and if a belt comes his way, a belt comes his way.
“He’s gaining momentum and credit for the way he’s approaching fights and for the fights he’s willing to take.”
The Betfred Boxing Show can be found on Youtube and streams weekly on Wednesdays at 7pm
