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Tyson Fury Goes Solo At Presser To
Announce Dillian Whyte Showdown
Two men will fight, but only one showed up for the press
conference. WBC/Lineal/Ring Magazine heavyweight champion
Tyson "The Gypsy King" Fury made it a solo act Tuesday to
promote his April 23 showdown against Dillian Whyte at
London's Wembley Stadium connected by EE. Fury-Whyte will be
broadcast live on Pay-Per-View in the U.S.
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) has been the lineal champion since
November 2015 and will fight on English soil for the first
time since June 2018. Since then, he's fought Deontay Wilder
three times, cemented his status as the world's best
heavyweight, and has served as an inspiration for mental
health sufferers around the world. Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) is a
consensus top-five heavyweight who knocked out Alexander
Povetkin in a rematch last year to regain the WBC interim
title.
Fury-Whyte marks the third time in boxing history that a
pair of Brits are fighting for the heavyweight title. Fury
managed without his counterpart at the press conference,
lobbing insults and promising a memorable evening in front
of an expected crowd of nearly 100,000.
Promoted by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions and Top
Rank, tickets will be on sale exclusively from Ticketmaster
at 12 p.m. UK/7 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 2. News on
undercard bouts will be announced shortly.
This is what Fury, Warren and Top Rank COO Brad Jacobs had
to say at Tuesday's press conference.
Tyson Fury
“It’s been a roller coaster of a ride, across the Atlantic
Ocean in the exotic venues of MGM Grand, T-Mobile, Staples
Center. I just feel like the song {by} Thin Lizzy, ‘The Boys
Are Back in Town.’ Four years away, and I get to come back
and showcase on the world’s biggest stage at Wembley
Stadium, 100,000 people there. I’m just putting it on so the
fans can come, the people who traveled to Las Vegas… not
everyone was able to come. For the people who stayed up to
five in the morning to see those fights on BT Sport, now
they can come and enjoy an event on home soil and be a part
of history. People will be talking about this event and
saying, ‘Where were you when this happened?’”
“I know Dillian Whyte is going to come in prepared. He’s
going to come in rugged and rough and game and aggressive.
And he’s got a big left hook and a big right hand. Who
knows? It could be me chinned on the night. I think both
fighters are going for the knockout on the night. I just
think when I land a ‘Lancaster Bomber’ on his jaw, it’s
going to be over. That could be in round one, or it could be
in round six. I don’t see it going past that. I’m looking to
put on an excellent {fight} and showcase knockout boxing for
the UK fans and then sing a load of songs afterwards and
have a good time. Party on down in the big smoke!’”
“"If I can't look like Muhammad Ali against this guy, then
I'm in the wrong {profession}. I will chop him to bits. Not
a problem. I will smash his face right in. You’re going to
see a boxing masterclass. You’re going to see the difference
in levels."
“This man is a big old strong fellow who swings a big old
punch in and knocks a man spark out if he connects. But if
I’m daft enough to get hit off him and knocked out, then I
don’t deserve to be heavyweight world champion."
“I don’t blame him for not being here today because if he
were here, I’d have probably stretched him at the press
conference. It’s good he’s not here, otherwise I’d be
remanded in a London jail cell somewhere. The buildup to
this fight will be fantastic because Tyson Fury versus his
own shadow sells for sure. I will make sure people are
entertained."
“My personal message to Dillian Whyte today is this: I will
win this fight for England and for St. George on St.
George’s Day. There we go.”
"He should be here promoting the fight. That's my opinion,
and I think it's tough luck for him and his family and his
legacy going forward."
Frank Warren
“I’m delighted. It’s great. We’re at Wembley. I think we’re
going to sell out just under 100,000 capacity. It’s going to
be a special night because you have the lineal champion, the
WBC champion who has not been here for four years, not
fought in the country for four years."
“The atmosphere is going to be brilliant. All we need —
unfortunately he is not here today — is the other side of
the card to show up."
Brad Jacobs
"Whyte is certainly a credible threat and is one of the top
available contenders. It is unprofessional that he is not
here today but we will get past that and move on. Everyone
is second best to Tyson, in the ring, in personality, in
everything.”
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