Howard Webb will fight Aleksandar Mitrovic on the undercard of Fury-Usyk next month.
The referee supremo and the Fulham striker have been involved in a war of words ever since the Serbia international’s red card at Old Trafford for intimidating match referee Chris Kavanagh.
Webb is understood to have told Mitrovic to “Pick on someone your own size,” following his early departure, sparking a retort from the player who claimed he could “Put down that big baldy inside four rounds, with or without VAR.”
Boxing guru Frank Warren, who is trying to get Fury and Usyk together for a undisputed World Heavyweight showdown, told Paddy Power News he was a big fan of the chief whistle-blower;
“I’ve wanted to add Mr Webb to my stable of fighters ever since I saw him grab Roy Keane by the throat outside Highbury in the early noughties. He still looks as mean today as he did all those years ago.
“Being a southpaw, he should prove to be an unpredictable opponent for Mitrovic who is definitely a scrapper himself. It will be a great contest and should definitely get us even more pay per view customers.”
After the announcement this morning, Webb is understood to have gone straight into training camp. A PGMOL advisor told us that.
“Howard’s gone off to the New Forest where he’s planning to live wild for the next few weeks. The only thing he’s taken with him is his ref’s outfit, a whistle, a hotline to Stockley Park and a big axe. He’s definitely not underestimating Mitrovic.”
Back in South West London, as Mitrovic faces an anxious wait to hear what his punishment will be and with many experts claiming he should be slapped with a ten-match suspension and face immediate deportation, Fulham were remaining tight-lipped about the big Serb’s fight plans.
A spokesman for The Cottagers however, told our reporter;
“It doesn’t look good for Aleksandar short-term, but that will give him plenty of time to hone his fight skills before he goes toe to toe with Webb.
“Give him a few days to calm down then you’ll be seeing him running up and down the tow path of the Thames with his team-mate’s on his back.
*Paddy Power’s breaking news coverage is 110% nonsense
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