WBC President provides update on Dillian Whyte status
World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman has given an update on Dillian Whyte’s position as the WBC interim heavyweight champion.
Speaking to Pound for Pound Podcast with Jake Wood and Oliver Spencer, Sulaiman said: “I would like to elaborate with as much clarity as possible, however, this is a very complex situation because of the legality.
“Everything is being handled now in the legal aspect so I’m going to just give you a brief summary.
“The WBC officially sanctioned the bout for the WBC interim and mandatory position. The fight took place and a few days later it was reported that there was an adverse finding.
“The WBC had absolutely no knowledge prior to the fight taking place. What we have done, we have contacted the different parties of interest, which is the BBBofC, Dillian Whyte and his representatives and everything has been led to go through UKAD.”
Since his points victory over unbeaten Colombian Oscar Rivas, news broke that an adverse finding was present in Whyte’s system. This came from a UKAD test just days before he fought, something the WBC were unaware of but should have been notified.
The WBC responded to the situation by suspending Whyte’s mandatory position and interim champion status. Sulaiman explained why the Jamaican-born, Brixton boxer was still listed at no.1 in their rankings: “At this moment I want to clarify that the WBC did not suspend Dillian Whyte.“The WBC suspended the situation regarding the interim championship and mandatory status of the division.
“Dillian Whyte was not suspended. Dillian Whyte has the right to go through a process which is regarding the adverse finding.”
Whyte currently has his lawyers addressing the situation in a bid to clear his name.