IBF Orders Dillian Whyte vs. Kubrat Pulev Heavyweight Eliminator

The IBF is getting ready to create a new mandatory challenger for the governing body’s heavyweight title.

The IBF ordered WBC Silver heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte to fight Kubrat Pulev in a final eliminator to decide the new mandatory challenger. The winner of that fight would then get to challenge for Anthony Joshua’s IBF title and likely the WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles as well. Pulev is the IBF’s No. 2 ranked heavyweight and Whyte is the IBF’s No. 4 ranked heavyweight boxer. On Fightful’s official boxing rankings at heavyweight, both Pulev and Whyte are ranked in the top 10.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddiie Hearn confirmed the IBF ruling on Twitter.

Pulev was originally the mandatory challenger to Joshua’s title and the two were supposed to fight last October until Pulev suffered an injury. That fight got scrapped and Joshua instead fought Carlos Takam at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Joshua retained his IBF and WBA titles with a TKO win over Takam. Pulev, who also holds the IBF Intercontinental title, has not fought since defeating Kevin Johnson by unanimous decision on April 2017.

Whyte retained the WBC Silver title in his last fight against Lucas Browne. That fight took place in March at the O2 Arena in England and was televised on HBO in the United States. Whyte had been calling out WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder since his win over Browne, but the IBF ruling likely ends any chances of him fighting Wilder in his next fight as Wilder is trying to get a historic unification bout against Joshua. Whyte’s only loss as a professional boxer came in 2015 when he got knocked out.