How Tyson Fury and Dillian White went from good friends to enemies. Venue: Wembley Stadium, London Date: Saturday, 23 April Show: Follow the live text, website and BBC Sport app from 21:00 BST
Wembley Stadium will host one of Britain’s biggest heavyweight clashes in history on Saturday night.
WBC and Ring Magazine champion Tyson Fury will strive to strengthen his status as the best fighter in the division. Challenger Dillian Whyte will seek to shock the boxing world.
The noise of the clash has really only intensified in the last few days, as White – until the week of the battle – does not participate in press conferences or promotional events.
The 34-year-old was upset about his share of the bag, but the topic of who wins what and the politics involved can now be put to bed, focusing firmly on who will lead.
Fury has won 31 matches with 22 knockouts and tied one as a pro. White won 28 wins with 19 breaks, but twice lost.
In a real battle between the boxer and the brawler, BBC Sport visualized a blockbuster match, talking to the two fighters, former heavyweight champions David Haye and Joseph Parker and boxing coach Dave Caldwell.
The biggest all-British heavyweight bump in history?
Watch as Fury and White weigh before Wembley’s heavyweight bout
Joe Bugner’s close victory over the popular Henry Cooper in 15 grueling rounds at Wembley Arena in 1971 was watched by millions on terrestrial television, while 26,000 Cardiff fans witnessed champion Lennox Lewis knock out national treasure Frank Bruno in 1993.
Both matches are solid examples of all-British heavyweight clashes that have captured the imagination of the general public, but only with numbers can Fury-White claim to be the biggest.
The post-war European record of 94,000 fans will fill Wembley Stadium, while purse offers are the highest in boxing, with Queensbury promoter Frank Warren successfully bidding $ 41 million (£ 30.6 million) to host the match.
“I’m ready to do rock’n’roll,” White told a news conference Thursday. “It means everything to fight in my own country and for the world title.”
The 33-year-old Fury added: “This speaks for itself. This is the best-selling British match in the history of our sport.”
Caldwell, who has been on White’s corner in the past, believes Fury-White is a bigger draw than Lewis-Bruno.
“Bruno was a great hero then, as Tyson Fury is now,” he says. “But the British had not yet gone to Louis during this battle.
From bad blood to mutual respect
Respectful Fury v. White press conference: We understand “warrior code”
White’s self-imposed silence encouraged the battle. He did not appear at last month’s press conference, which allowed Fury – always a showman – to entertain reporters alone.
The athlete, meanwhile, kept quiet while training in Portugal. He landed in London on Monday and attended a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s match.
After years of social media, it was expected that the outburst could erupt, but Fury and White, surprisingly, shared great mutual respect.
“He is a decent man. A worthy man and has good morals,” said Fury. “I will not sit here and deal with the boy, because I have nothing to tease him.
White also did not dwell on any previous bad blood, saying: “He understands the code of the warrior. He treated me with respect and I treated him with respect.
The battle was somewhat overshadowed by Fury’s ties to Daniel Kinahan, who last week was among seven people affected by global financial sanctions from the United States.
Fury had previously been advised by Kinahan, but during the public training session insisted he had no “absolute zero” involvement with the Irishman, whether in a business or consulting role, and dismissed speculation that this had disrupted his training.
“I have a huge man in my life who’s trying to hit me in the face this week and I have to deal with it so that everything else is out of my control and has nothing to do with me at all,” Fury said.
Will White shock the world?
Don’t treat me like no one else – White
White is a clear outsider, but as the boxing cliché goes, heavyweight boxing only takes one hit; and White’s ruthless style and vicious hooks are a danger to any adversary.
“He’s a good fighter,” says Fury. “A good strong and solid man. He is big, small, strong, hard, play. He has a good punch with good strength, he knocks out many men.”
While Fury was undefeated in 32 games, White lost to Anthony Joshua in 2015 and was then knocked out by 40-year-old Alexander Povetkin in August 2020, only to avenge his defeat by the Russian seven months later.
But Haye, a former two-time world champion, says past results have little significance in heavyweight boxing, citing Lewis’ losses to Oliver McCall and Hassim Rahman and Joshua’s shocked defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. .
“Anything can happen in heavyweight boxing and an anomaly happens from time to time,” he said. “The way Dillian has the best chance of winning is to get closer and turn it into a lugfest. I think he’s stopping Fury on his feet late at some point.”
Parker, who was dropped twice before losing by points to White in 2018, is aware of how difficult The Body Snatcher is.
“He has strength in both hands and will always be ready,” said the New Zealand heavyweight. “We haven’t seen much of it, so no one knows what to expect in terms of the approach and what form it takes.”
Is Fury just too good?
Outside the ring, the story of Fury’s return from mental health struggles and weight gain is well documented. Within the square circle, the gypsy king is considered by many to be one of the most skillful and elusive heavyweight boxers of his generation.
Fury will fight in the United Kingdom for the first time since 2018, and his last five matches – including the trilogy with Deontay Wilder – will be held in the United States.
Parker says that although the champion has become a world superstar in recent years, he does not take this match lightly.
“I don’t think there’s any complacency in Team Fury or Tyson himself,” he said. “They did the best they could for the battle.
“But I believe Tyson will hit him repeatedly with the blow and knock him out between the fifth and ninth rounds.”
Fury, modest and perhaps a little mocking, belittles his own qualities.
“I was bounced off the canvas more than once by a bouncing ball,” he said. “I’m not that untouchable boxer that everyone thinks I might be. I’m just a normal boxer who’s been lucky 32 times before.”
Hey – who had to face Fury in 2013 before retiring due to injury – has been criticized by Fury’s father for predicting a loss for the champion again.
John Fury claims that Hay will “choose Santa” instead of his son and demanded that he be removed from the TV crew.
In response to these comments, Hay said: “Just as he would support his son against King Kong. I just say it the way I see it.
“I thought Wladimir Klitschko would beat him in 2015, just as everyone did and got it wrong, and I thought Wilder had the ability to knock him out all three times, which he almost did.”
Will Fury retire? Will White become a world star?
Fury became the only heavyweight champion, defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, before defeating Deontay Wilder for the WBC and Ring Magazine belts in 2020.
A victory for White will not only stun the boxing world, but it will be one of the biggest draws in heavyweight boxing.
With the offered bonus for profit and as a free agent who is not tied to a promoter, this will catapult him into the international boxing star.
As Caldwell moves toward Fury’s victory, he says the hard yards White has invested over the years can now pay off.
“He’s been pursuing this mandatory WBC position and although it’s been mandatory for years, he’s taken a few great fights that have added to his experience, knowledge of boxing and ring general,” Caldwell added.
His Briton Joshua is expected to have a rematch against WBA, WBO and IBF Champion Alexander Usik this summer and Hay and Parker would like to see the winner of the Fury-White challenge for the undisputed clash.
“This must be the undisputed next,” Parker said. Hay added: “I hope Anthony Joshua gets those belts back and then we will undoubtedly have the biggest fight for the British title of all time.”
But victory, loss or draw, Fury says he plans to retire from the sport after the battle and will not be drawn to the prospect of taking all the belts.
“That’s it. In the capital. That’s the tip of the iceberg. ”
“There is no amount of money or belts that I have not already won or received to get me back.”
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