Eddie Hearn has warned Tyson Fury that the constant overlooking of Dillian Whyte has made their upcoming bout 'dangerous'.
Fury was mandated by the WBC to defend his heavyweight belt against Whyte but negotiations have proven to be difficult, with purse bids delayed on no fewer than four occasions.
Amidst all that, there was also continued talk as to the potential of Anthony Joshua stepping aside from his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk to allow a unification bout between Fury and Usyk to develop.
However, those proposals were brought to an end this week and Fury is now set to defend his belt as planned against Whyte - who Hearn believes finds himself in a better position after the delay.
"I think it makes it really dangerous for Fury because he's lost this big opportunity for this undisputed fight but he's got to fight Whyte, which is a horrible fight, a dangerous fight," he told MEN Sport.
"I give Dillian Whyte a lot more of a chance now than I did a month ago because I think his head is all over the place."
Fury's bout with Whyte is widely seen as the final hurdle for the Gypsy King before a heavyweight unification bout, where he'll face off against the winner of the rematch between Usyk and Joshua.
In order to do so, however, he must first defeat Whyte in the ring - a fight that will mark his homecoming to British shores after years of fighting in the United States, including all three bouts in his trilogy with Deontay Wilder.
Fury's camp had reserved an end of March date at Cardiff's Principality Stadium for his next fight but that is extremely unlikely to be filled now that Whyte is set to be the opponent, with mid-April a more likely timeframe.
Cardiff is still expected to be the final venue as a stadium is being courted for the bout, with the Principality Stadium having the edge due to the roof.
