Tyson Fury’s heavyweight title defence against Dillian Whyte appears to be on after both boxers reportedly signed contracts to fight in England in April.
A number of news outlets reported early on Tuesday that contracts had been lodged to the WBC hours before the organisation’s deadline. According to ESPN, the pair will clash for Fury’s WBC crown at Wembley Stadium in London on April 23.
However, the same report claimed there did remain one outstanding issue to resolve, in relation to Whyte’s contract. The Brit, whose professional record reads 28-2, is the WBC’s interim champion having defeated Alexander Povetkin in their rematch last March. Whyte was the longstanding No 1 mandatory challenger.
Last month, Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren won the rights to stage the encounter between his client and Whyte, with a record $42 million purse bid. Fury is understood to receive almost $30m of that, with Whyte taking home a little more than $7m. A bonus of $4m goes to the winner.
Asked by The National this month what sort of threat Whyte would pose, Fury said: “Nothing. The guy’s a bum. None of these fights turn me on any more. Not one of them. It’s just a boxing match to me now.
“Even the Wilder fights didn’t really get me up for the fights. It’s just a boxing match these days. I don’t have any specific reason for doing it. I do it because I can and it’s easy. That’s it.”