OTTO WALLIN is devastated by the cancellation of his fight against Dillian Whyte - and now faces the PS18,000 spent training to it.
The Swede faced Whyte on Saturday. The winner will then compete for Tyson Fury’s WBC crown.
Wallin, however, was able to pack his bags and make it to the airport. He was told that he might be in for a fight.
After a medical exam, Whyte was removed from the bout.
Wallin disclosed that he spent approximately PS10,000 to PS18,000 on training, while preparing for the conference in New York.
His promoter is concerned that it will not only be money going to waste but also the potential for injury to the body following a very exhausting camp.
Dmitriy Salaita said to SunSport that besides the money, there were other fight options and he chose to take this fight.
It's a lost opportunity. A world-class athlete can only attend so many camps and take the punishment it entails in order to be at their best.
"Boxing isn't the Wild Wild West. I believe that there is an opportunity here to establish precedent in our sport, and this is more important than the fight itself."
Whyte, 32 years old, was making a voluntary defense of his WBC interim' title. He also hand-picked Wallin (30) as an opponent.
This means that his promotional team Matchroom has the right to cancel or reschedule the fight.
Wallin's team has requested that an independent doctor examine Whyte’s injury, but have not received a response.
They also hope the WBC will order the rescheduling. The WBC has already promised Fury the winner a chance at Fury.
Salita stated that they also contacted WBC to request the re-do of the important heavyweight contest. Wallin vs Whyte was an inter-title fight for WBC.
"Several weeks later, the WBC announced that Wallin vs Whyte would be the interim champion. This means that Wilder vs Fury will be the winner.
"Whyte was injured, but Fury won the fight.
"Anything could happen in boxing. Whyte was recently knocked out by Alexander Povetkin. It is possible that Otto will win.
Whyte claimed that he spent PS120,000 training in Portugal. However, his team insisted that he was ready to fight injury.
He admitted that it is now "common sense" to let go of Wallin and focus on Fury, 33. Fury has waited so patiently for his chance at the green and gold belt.
TalkSPORT's Whyte stated that Fury has the World Title and that's exactly what I have been waiting for, it's what my work for.
"I don’t know how many sanctioning fees have I paid. It would have been easy to abandon this path and go down another one years ago. But I waited, I waited, and I waited.
"So, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? Fight Otto Wallin, fight Tyson Fury. It's common sense.
"Like I said I am not afraid of anyone. I wanted to fight."
Salita, who was a former world title challenger, doesn't accuse Whyte that he inflicted the injury but insists on getting a second opinion.
'OTTO WAS WITH HIS BAGS READY FOR GO'
He stated that it was not his business to speculate on injuries and accidents that may occur during training.
"We have requested an independent doctor to perform an evaluation and determine if the fight can be rescheduled in a near future.
"After all, Otto was carrying his bags to fly across the pond to give boxing lovers what they deserve."
Whyte stated that he offered 8-0 Alenbabic, who he manages, as a replacement for Wallin.
Salita, however, denies that they were offered an alternative fight and seems to believe Whyte is their sole target.
He stated that he did not receive an offer from Otto to fight October 30, after Whyte had fallen out.
"Definition is the opponent, purse, travel, accommodation, and any other details that relate to a specific fight.
"At this point Otto is trying to get in the Ring with Whyte."
