Another heavyweight tilt has been added to the rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua. On Wednesday, it was announced that perennial contender Dillian Whyte would take on former heavyweight title challenger Mariusz Wach on Dec. 7 at Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN.
Most recently, Whyte (26-1, 18 KOs) rebounded from getting knocked down in the ninth round to defeat Oscar Rivas by unanimous decision in July to capture the interim WBC belt and extend his winning streak to 10.
Controversy ensued after the fight, when it was revealed that Whyte failed a pre-fight drug test by the UK Anti-Doping agency, but the British Boxing Board of Control allowed him to compete despite the positive result for a banned substance. It isn't clear if Whyte ever had 'B' sample tested. Afterward, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association announced that Whyte had passed his pre-fight and post-fight drug tests. At the end of July, the WBC suspended Whyte's interim title until it could complete its own investigation.
Now, however, the 31-year-old has a chance to get back in the ring and close out 2019 with his second victory of the year and inch one step closer to competing for heavyweight gold.
“I’m delighted to be fighting in Saudi Arabia against Mariusz Wach,” Whyte said in a statement to announce the fight. “He’s probably got one of the best chins in the heavyweight division. I have been training and working hard to fight, so it’s great to get a date, and it’s very exciting for me to be fighting somewhere different like Saudi Arabia. I want to fight in different places, and different settings, and this card has the biggest heavyweight fight on it that we have seen in years. I’m just going to keep chasing the world titles, so if I keep winning then I hope to land that world title shot in 2020. That’s the plan for December 7.”
Wach (35-5, 19 KOs) had lost three fights in a row before scoring back-to-back stoppage wins. The 39-year-old is most known for losing a wide decision in November 2012 to then-unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.