Dillian Whyte: Tyson Fury Never Sticks To Anything He Says

Dillian Whyte says he has no faith in Tyson Fury honouring the WBC’s pledge to give him his long overdue title shot, but says that he does not want to become champion by just being handed the belt either.

Whyte faces Alexander Povetkin on Saturday in the final edition of Eddie Hearn’s Fight Camp from his old garden in Essex. He expects the former WBA heavyweight champion to be his final opponent before he gets a shot at the WBC title, something the WBC assured him would happen by the end of February 2021.

A lot of things have happened since that pledge, though, with the coronavirus pandemic putting back Fury’s third fight with Deontay Wilder until at least December and talks of an undisputed heavyweight title fight between Fury and Anthony Joshua threatening to come to some fruition.

“They can’t go back on their word back change it again,” Whyte said. “I say that, but they done it before. I think they would not want the embarrassment which would come with doing that, and rightly so. I’ve earned it, I deserve it, I’ve been waiting for three years.”

“[Fury] hasn’t behaved honourably towards me at all. One minute he says he wants to fight me and then the next minute, he says he won’t fight me.

“Fury just really talks a lot of rubbish man. He says whatever he thinks. He’s someone who never sticks to anything he says. He’s always saying one thing today and something else tomorrow. His mind is like the wind, it changes direction all the time.”

Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, has made it clear that Whyte is not in their plans, even if that means giving up the WBC title. Warren even suggested Whyte should face Daniel Dubois, an idea Whyte gave short shrift to.Should Fury hand the belt back, Whyte, as the interim champion would almost certainly be handed it, although that is not the way he wants to become champion.

“Frank Warren can say whatever he wants, the WBC have said it must happen,” Whyte said. “It’s legal process. Frank Warren says a lot of things. He’s just trying to deviate from the Tyson Fury fight.

“They know I love to fight and it doesn’t take much to get me going, so they’re just trying to throw some bait out and hope I bite. If they strip [Fury], I wouldn’t have to fight anyone for the title because I am the interim world champion.

“I’ve had enough fights to justify being a world champion. I don’t want that, I want to fight Tyson Fury because everyone says he is the best heavyweight alive and he’s the best heavyweight to walk the planet. Hopefully he’s going to be a man of his word and fight me and not be a coward and vacate.”

Whyte arrived back in Essex on Tuesday from Portugal, where he spent the entire lockdown period. At the hotel where all boxers and broadcasters are based, he is staying in a large motorhome parked outside to ensure he stays away from Povetkin.

The thought of boxing with no live crowd does not worry him, however.

“Listen, we’re fighters, that’s what we do,” Whyte said. “People as a race, we all fight in different ways. That’s what we do best, we fight.”