Tyson Fury has accused Dillian Whyte of "showing the white flag" for failing to show up for a media event promoting their world heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium in London.
Fury is defending his WBC belt against his fellow Briton on April 23 and the pair were due to go head-to-head in a press conference on Tuesday only for Whyte not to turn up.
It was reported that Whyte - the mandatory challenger for Fury's title - was seeking to renegotiate his share of the fight split before he signed his contract hours ahead of the deadline last week.
Frank Warren won the rights to stage the encounter between his client and Whyte, with a record $42 million purse bid. Fury is set to receive almost $30m of that, with Whyte taking home a little more than $7m. A bonus of $4m goes to the winner.
Whyte is currently preparing for his first world title opportunity in Portugal and, according to Warren, rejected the offer of a private jet to come head-to-head with Fury.
“He’s getting the biggest payday of his life,” said Fury, who is unbeaten in his 32 pro bouts. Whyte has lost twice in his 28 fights. “He should be here kissing my feet and washing my feet.
“Before I was like ‘you know what, when I say stuff about Dillian Whyte he always fires back and he gets upset and causes a bit of a ruckus’, now it’s like ‘say what you want about the guy’.
“It’s given me that much more confidence, it’s unbelievable. He’s definitely shown the white flag in my estimation.
“He doesn’t want to go face-to-face with me because he’ll see that fire in my eyes and he’ll think ‘I’m getting smashed to bits’.”
Fury's last fight saw him defeat Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas in their third fight with a brutal 11th-round knockout. He last bout in Britain was in August 2018 when he beat Francesco Pianeta in Belfast.
Warren claimed that Whyte is getting paid more than his contemporaries did when they first fought for a world title. “I’ve never heard of a fighter not showing up to a press conference,” the promoter said.
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WBC champion Tyson Fury knocks out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their incredible heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas in October, 2021. EPA -
Tyson Fury on his way to the ring for his WBC heavyweight title fight with Deontay Wilder at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas on October 9, 2021. AFP -
Deontay Wilder makes his entrance before the fight. Reuters -
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder prepare to fight. Reuters -
Fury in action against Deontay Wilder in round one. Reuters -
Tyson Fury on the front foot. Reuters -
Tyson Fury lands a punch on US challenger Deontay Wilder. AFP -
Tyson Fury on the attack. Reuters -
Deontay Wilder is knocked down by Tyson Fury in the third round. Reuters -
Tyson Fury knocks down Deontay Wilder. Reuters -
Deontay Wilder knocks down Tyson Fury in the fourth round. Reuters -
Tyson Fury reacts after being knocked down by Deontay Wilder. Reuters -
Tyson Fury gets up after he was knocked down twice in the fourth round. AP -
Tyson Fury was in big trouble in the fourth round. Reuters -
Tyson Fury receives attention in his corner. Reuters -
Tyson Fury fights back against Deontay Wilder. EPA -
Deontay Wilder goes down on one knee as the referee holds back Tyson Fury during round six. AFP -
Tyson Fury in action against Deontay Wilder in an incredible fight. Reuters -
The action continued at a frenetic pace as Fury started to edge ahead on the scorecards. AP -
Deontay Wilder swings at Tyson Fury as the battle continuedn into round nine. AP -
Tyson Fury raises his arms after knocking down Wilder in the tenth round - but that wasn't the end. Reuters -
Deontay Wilder is given the count in round ten. Reuters -
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury knocks out US challenger Deontay Wilder in the 11th round. AFP -
What a fight! Tyson Fury knocks out Deontay Wilder. Reuters -
Tyson Fury KOs Deontay Wilder in the 11th round. AFP -
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury starts his celebrations. AFP -
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury after his victory against US challenger Deontay Wilder in the 11th round. AFP -
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury after his victory against US challenger Deontay Wilder in the 11th round. AFP -
Tyson Fury celebrates after defeating Deontay Wilder to retain his title. AP -
Tyson Fury after winning the fight against Deontay Wilder. Reuters -
Tyson Fury's team celebrate. Reuters -
Tyson Fury gives an interview after the fight. Reuters -
Tyson Fury celebrates with his wife Paris. Reuters -
Tyson Fury poses for a photograph with promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum, trainer SugarHill Steward, wife, Paris and team during a press conference after Fury won the fight against Deontay Wilder. Reuters -
Tyson Fury poses for a photograph with promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum, trainer SugarHill Steward and commentator, Crystina Poncher. Reuters -
Tyson Fury during a press conference after winning the fight against Deontay Wilder, as promoter Bob Arum looks on. Reuters -
Promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren. Reuters -
Tyson Fury poses for a photograph with promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum. Reuters -
Tyson Fury and trainer SugarHill Steward with the belts during a press conference. Reuters -
Tyson Fury speaks on his phone during a press conference after winning the fight against Deontay Wilder. Reuters
“He’s getting eight times more than Tyson got to fight [Wladimir] Klitschko, he’s getting more than [Anthony] Joshua got paid to fight [Charles] Martin, he’s getting more than [Oleksandr] Usyk got to fight Joshua.
“Champions bank on themselves to win, that’s what they do to become the king. You win the title, you get the money.
“It’s just not right. We are where we are but Dillian Whyte is in Portugal. He should be here. It’s disgraceful that he’s not here, it’s not professional.”
Whyte last fought when he beat Alexander Povetkin with a knockout in his March 2021 rematch - after losing their first bout against the Russian - with both wins coming via knockout. Whyte's other defeat came against former world champion Joshua in 2015.
Fury added: “He’s no different to many of the other opponents I’ve fought in my career. They’re all dangerous, they’ve all got a puncher’s chance.
“I always put a lot of pressure on myself and if I can’t look like Muhammad Ali boxing this guy then I’m in the wrong position and I’m not as good as I think I am. I will chop him to bits, not a problem.
“You’re going to see a boxing a masterclass, you’ll see the difference in levels, you’re going to see the Ferrari racing the Vauxhall Corsa in a race. There’s levels to this game.
“I’m not saying Dillian Whyte’s not capable of winning a fight because he’s won nearly 30 fights but there’s a gulf in class here. If I’m daft enough to get knocked out by him then I don’t deserve to be world heavyweight champion.”
