Fury and Whyte's bitter heavyweight battle should deliver
After goading him for weeks on end, Tyson Fury is FINALLY poised to settle his bitter rivalry with Dillian Whyte on April 23… and their world heavyweight title clash should deliver following years of insults and vulnerable performances in recent contests
- Dillian Whyte finally signed his contract to fight Tyson Fury last week
- Whyte had until Monday to seal his shot at the WBC heavyweight champion
- He has been locked in a bitter feud with Fury for the best part of four years
- Their rivalry began when Whyte branded his fellow Brit a ‘coward’ back in 2018
- Fury has mocked Whyte for staying silent since their clash was confirmed
- Both men are susceptible to knockdowns and will likely go hell for leather in April
After weeks of allegations, insults and uncertainty, Dillian Whyte finally put pen to paper on the contract for his WBC heavyweight title clash with Tyson Fury on Monday night.
Over two months since he was officially installed as the WBC’s mandatory challenger, Whyte, who has been locked in a legal battle with the governing body over his 20 per cent cut of the fight purse, at long last ended any doubts over the all-British battle taking place by signing to scrap Fury on April 23.
The heavyweight landscape has been as muddled as ever in recent weeks. Talk of a potential undisputed showdown between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, the three-belt holder contractually obliged to rematch beaten champion Anthony Joshua next, came to fruition last month and, in truth, simply complicated an already-jumbled situation.
Dillian Whyte (right) finally signed his contract to fight Tyson Fury (left) on Monday night
A mega-fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk (left) appeared likely at one stage last month
Usyk vs Fury would have required both Joshua and Whyte to accept step-aside fees, which in the end proved unfeasible for a number of reasons.
Thus, that utopic proposition soon died a swift death and both champions swivelled back in the direction of their upcoming challengers.
It took until January 28 for Fury to announce a deal had been struck with Whyte; yet when the Gypsy King took to social media to confirm his latest outing, there was a deafening silence from his domestic rival.
Still seemingly unhappy with a split of the fight purse he and promoter Eddie Hearn deemed insulting, Whyte refused to acknowledge his first world-title shot on any platform while continuing his protests behind the scenes and holding off on signing the contract.
Meanwhile Fury, never one for taking a vow of silence, revelled in his opponent’s apparent hiding and directed a series of video messages his way.
‘This is a message for Dillian Whyte,’ he started. ‘White feathers, coward. Where are you white feathers? You wanted your world title shot with [Deontay] Wilder for three years, you never got it. You were mandatory for me for three minutes and you got your fight didn’t you, ya coward!
‘”Tyson Fury is a coward. He doesn’t want to fight Dillian Whyte!” But all of a sudden you’re on your toes and you’ve gone silent you little b****. Come out of hiding white feathers! Come and get it. You’re gonna get a good hiding.
But after the undisputed bout fell through the Gypsy King turned his attention back to Whyte
Fury then goaded his domestic rival on social media when he hesitated in signing the contract
‘You wanted a bit of free money, didn’t you ya little dosser? But now you’re getting £8 million and that’s £7.5 million too much for you, ya little dosser. Come on and taste something, bum.’
Fury’s goading continued up until Whyte finally dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on the contract earlier this week, and even after doing so he wasn’t safe from a ribbing online.
The WBC champion then said: ‘Oh my God. Dillian Whyte’s signed his contract for $8m. What a surprise!
‘An absolute idiot. Should this even be a talking point? The man signed for the biggest pay-day he’s ever going to get in his life.’
Referencing Whyte’s silence, Fury then added in a sarcastic American accent: ‘Oh my God, my head hurts from all the mind-games that Dillian Whyte’s been playing on me. Oh my God. I’m so sore. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. My training camp’s a mess.’
Whyte has so far refused to comment on his upcoming world-title shot in public
While he is holding his tongue for now, it is unlikely Whyte will continue to do so when he comes face-to-face with Fury at the press conference for their heavyweight encounter in the coming weeks.
The pair’s initial meeting is certain to produce fireworks given they have been exchanging unpleasantries for the best part of four years. Back in 2018, Whyte ignited a feud with Fury by blasting his fellow Brit and opponent Deontay Wilder.
The Brixton man wrote on social media: ‘Embarrassing bunch of cowards. Let’s go chumps #clowns’.
But Fury soon hit back: ‘Cowards??? It could have been you [facing Wilder].’
‘But someone didn’t want to fight the final eliminator vs [Luis] Ortiz, did you coward? So that’s why you’re not fighting Wilder.’
He then added: ‘Remember who you’re talking to – The Gypsy King, the man who has done everything that you could only dream of.
‘I know you’re a s***house dosser, enjoy being a work man for Eddie.’
The relationship has not always been fuelled by animosity, as earlier in their respective careers Fury and Whyte shared the ring as sparring partners. Yet after things turned sour, the latter lifted the lid on those sessions and told Sky Sports in 2019: ‘Tyson’s awkward, he’s long, he’s rangy, some days he may outbox you here and there, but I definitely laid him out before.’
And a year later, he ramped up the bad blood even further by writing on Twitter: ‘Gypsy @Tyson_Fury Coward always conning the public you forget I’ve put you down lots before & watched you pathetically sobbing on the canvas you ran away last year when ordered you to fight me anytime anywhere anyhow #FakeTyson #Coward’.
Their mutual disdain should provide box-office entertainment both inside and outside the ring over the next few months. Fury nor Whyte have ever been one for mincing their words, meaning trash talk will be rife, and a pulsating affair between the ropes is also likely given they have both displayed vulnerability in recent outings.
Fury and Whyte’s bout should offer fireworks given they are both susceptible to being put over
The Gypsy King was an easy target at times during his recent win over Deontay Wilder
Whyte has been knocked out on a couple of occasions, including against Alexander Povetkin
Whyte is certainly susceptible to being knocked out; he was sparked cold by Alexander Povetkin in 2020, put over by Oscar Rivas the year before and seconds away from being stopped in the final round of his dramatic 2018 win over Joseph Parker.
Nevertheless, the 33-year-old has also proved capable of holding his own in a tear-up; enjoying two memorable battles with Derek Chisora, the second of which ended with him flooring his arch-rival to the point of no return, while he also gave old adversary Anthony Joshua trouble before succumbing to defeat as a novice back in 2015.
It too must be noted that he executed one of the most seamless, complete performances of his career to date to see off a battle-worn Povetkin in their rematch last year.
Whyte still heads into his date of destiny with Fury as the underdog, however, and if his compatriot is anywhere near his best come April it will be a tall order for him to spring an upset.
But the Brixton man produced one of his best performances yet to avenge the Povetkin defeat
Fury has again cemented his position as the leading heavyweight on the planet since returning from a dark period away from the sport, in which he turned to drink and drug abuse amid a battle with mental-health issues, to rip the WBC title from Wilder’s grasp.
He had already jabbed and weaved his way to becoming unified champion against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, and a similarly cute display against Wilder in 2018 should have resulted in a fairytale comeback win but was instead deemed a split-decision draw.
Though after teaming up with new coach SugarHill Steward, the nephew of legendary Kronk trainer Emmanuel Steward, in his two subsequent contests against the Bronze Bomber Fury has blitzed his way to victory in ruthless fashion.
Instead of sitting on the back-foot and outjabbing his opponent, the 6ft 9in heavyweight walked Wilder down and went on the offensive before claiming mightily impressive stoppage and knockout wins.
Fury, though, has proven himself as the leading heavyweight on the planet in recent years
But this newfound adventure almost cost him in the final instalment of their epic trilogy. After scoring a knockdown himself in the third, Fury was on the brink of defeat when he was floored twice by Wilder in a dramatic fourth round.
Of course, in the end his unparalleled powers of recovery allowed him to go on and knock Wilder out in round 11, and it must be noted that he was up against one of the most powerful punchers in boxing history. However, Whyte and his team will hope to exploit similar flaws in Fury, who was an easy target for Wilder to tee off on at times.
Whatever the outcome, Fury and Whyte’s heavyweight war, a long time in the making, should be captivating from the first press conference up until the final bell.
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