Former heavyweight champion Frank Bruno is backing Tyson Fury to overcome Dillian Whyte in a potential fight that is likely to come off at some point in 2022.

Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, was recently ordered by the sanctioning body to begin negotiations with Whyte.

However, Whyte is currently engaged in a legal battle with the World Boxing Council - which in turn has derailed the discussions with Fury.

Fury and his handlers have offered Whyte an 80-20 split, while Whyte is looking to get something closer to a split of 55-45.

Until the Whyte-WBC legal rift is resolved, there is no concrete split on the table to send the mandatory bout to a purse bid.

At the moment, Fury is still on schedule to return to the ring on a date in March - in what is potentially going to be non-title fight. The event is being positioned to take place in the UK, but that scenario could be changed if strict COVID-19 restrictions are reinstated.

Whyte, in theory, would then become Fury's second fight of the year.

“It’s a good fight, Dillian Whyte is very powerful. Tyson Fury is dangerous and can box.  What he’s learned, Dillian Whyte wouldn’t know, it would break him. If [Whyte] hits Fury he’ll hit the floor," Bruno told DAZN.

“Tyson Fury is going to show him some movements and upset him. He can adapt. If you’re southpaw he can southpaw, if you dig deep he can dig deep. He fought the most dangerous man on the planet, Deontay Wilder, who threw his toys out of the pram.”

Fury's last fight took place in October, when he survived two knockdowns to score a sensational knockout of Deontay Wilder in the eleventh round of their trilogy bout.