Tyson Fury has begun negotiations for a mandatory defence of his world heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte.

The WBC have ordered talks to commence with the fight expected to take place in late February or early March, probably under the roof of Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

Fury's promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum feel they cannot wait any longer for Anthony Joshua to agree a megabucks deal to step aside from his rematch with Olexsandr Usyk and let the man who took his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts fight the Gypsy King for the undisputed world title.

Warren says: 'There has been too much messing around with this. Tyson needs to box in the New Year and we have reached the point where we must get on with the Whyte fight.'

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman had been holding back on ordering this contest while Whyte's legal action to enforce his long awaited mandatory rights went to arbitration.

But Sulaiman has now sent instructions to all parties to come to terms.

Fury would have preferred the total unification fight with Usyk, to be followed by the winner facing Joshua.

This will be Fury 's homecoming to the UK after a long campaign in America which included his epic trilogy battle with Deontay Wilder.

He liked the idea of fighting in his native Manchester but Warren says: 'Whyte is a huge stadium event and it's too cold that early in the new Year to go to Old Trafford.'

There will be heated horse trading given that Fury is due the lion's share of the purse as world champion.

If they cannot reach agreement it will go to purse bids