Dillian Whyte says Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua were “taking the p***” by agreeing a deal to fight each other next year.
‘The Body Snatcher’ has been waiting patiently for a shot at the WBC world heavyweight title for what feels like an eternity as the governing body’s mandatory contender. And he is supposed to get his opportunity by the end of February 2021.
So when it was announced on June 10 that Fury and Joshua had ‘agreed in principle’ the financial structure for a blockbusting two-fight deal, likely for next year, Whyte (27-1) admits he was “enraged”.
He told the Daily Mail: “I thought they were taking the p***! Straight away, that was 100 steps too far, they were taking the p***… I got straight on the phone to (promoter) Eddie Hearn and the WBC. They already took my mandatory unjustifiably before and now there were trying to shaft me again. I was enraged.”
Eddie Hearn – whose Matchroom Boxing promotes both Joshua and Whyte, says the latter must take priority for a shot at the WBC title even though Fury vs Joshua would be the biggest fight in British boxing history. And the 32-year-old is staying active by agreeing to meet Russian former world heavyweight king Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1) at Hearn’s Matchroom Fight Camp on Saturday August 22 (live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN worldwide).
Whyte explained his reasoning for agreeing to fight behind closed doors, saying: “If things never go back to normal, are we going to give up? We cannot just sit and wait for crowds to come back, we just need to get on with it. I would have another fight behind closed doors. That’s my job.”
While Fury – who is due to meet Deontay Wilder for the WBC title and complete their trilogy later this year – is currently the man in Whyte’s sights, Dillian would also love a chance of revenge against Joshua, who handed him his only professional loss so far via a seventh-round stoppage back in December 2015.
He said quite simply: “I’ll fight him, put the purse in the middle, winner takes all.”
