Tyson Fury says he will settle his feud with Dillian Whyte by stopping his compatriot, ahead of their likely meeting next year.
The WBC ordered Fury on Tuesday to defend his WBC heavyweight title against WBC interim champion, Whyte and gave both teams 30 days to reach a deal otherwise a purse bid would be called.
The governing body were expected to order the pair to fight at their convention in Mexico City last month, but said they would not sanction the bout with Whyte involved in a legal case against them – it is not clear whether this has been resolved.
Unbeaten Fury, who halted Deontay Wilder in the eleventh round of their epic trilogy in October, expressed his desire in recent weeks to face unified WBA ‘super’, WBO and IBF champion, Oleksandr Usyk, who is contracted to face Anthony Joshua in a rematch after dethroning the Brit in September, although ‘The Gypsy King’ urged his compatriot to take a step aside offer.
Tuesday’s decision likely ends the possibility of an immediate unification between Fury and Usyk and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Manchester Arena are two venues being explored for a Fury vs Whyte showdown, although an exact date is not known at this stage.
View this post on Instagram
The pair have shared several social media back-and-forths over recent years and the 33-year-old champion insists he will halt his rival if they fight.
“I’ve known Dillian a long time, we go back a long way,” Fury told Behind The Gloves.
“He’s improved a lot over the last few years, but the outcome will always be the same, I’ll knock him out.
“If that fight happens, then I’ll knock him out.
“I love fighting in Las Vegas, but if it’s going to be in England then fantastic and if it’s not then [there’s] not too much I can do about it, because you’ve got the promoters who are going to put it on wherever it’s going to be and we’ll find out.
“I’ll start training camp in the new year sometime. If I’m boxing in March sometime, I’ll probably start at the beginning of February, because I don’t really need that long.
View this post on Instagram
“I only need six weeks of training, any more than that’s a waste.”
Fury has an exclusive broadcast deal with ESPN in the USA and fights on BT Sport in the UK, whilst being co-promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.
Whyte, who regained his position as interim champion with a fourth round stoppage over Alexander Povetkin in their March rematch after suffering a shock fifth round defeat seven months earlier, has fought the majority of his career under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing banner, going on a fight-by-fight basis.
The 33-year-old was scheduled to face Otto Wallin in October, but withdrew with a shoulder injury.
Hearn, who has an exclusive broadcast deal with DAZN, does not expect the broadcast rights to be shared and says they would be willing to agree to an offer presented by Top Rank and Queensberry, although the split from the WBC is not yet known.
“Tyson Fury is not going to agree a deal for that fight to land with Matchroom I don’t think,” Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans on Thursday.
“But we and Dillian Whyte would agree to the right deal from Top Rank for that fight.
“But it has to be a deal that gives Dillian Whyte the credit and the respect more importantly that he deserves.
View this post on Instagram
“He’s been waiting a long time and we don’t yet know what the official split is for that fight, but you can’t really negotiate a fight until you know what you’re negotiating, so when purse bids are called for that fight we’ll know what the split is.
“We would like to make a significant offer for that fight, or a significant bid for that fight so we know what that bid will be and the offer that comes in from the other side has to be competitive with the money that we would pay for that fight, because if not it will go to purse bids.
“But, no one’s going to be difficult or clever.”
