Tyson Fury says he believes that Dillian Whyte is “fearless” and says there is no point trying to get under his skin.
Fury and Whyte were cordial when they met at the final press conference for this Saturday’s WBC heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium.
Indeed, they almost greeted each other like old friends, as the two former sparring partners acted as peacemakers as their respective teams, led by Fury’s father, John, threatened to exchange blows.
“You have to be a bit diplomatic,” Fury said. “Both teams are up on the stage and it was up to me to calm it all down and sort it out. Both men are getting paid to have a fight so why do it for free three days before?
“There would be no point paying to see it with so many cameras up and down recording it, so let’s save it all for the night and not all end up in the police van, heading for the cells.”
Whyte was a regular sparring partner for Fury about a decade ago and after the challenger failed to show at the launch press conference or Tuesday’s open workouts, Wednesday’s press conference was the first time they had come face to face in years.
“Do you know what, honestly, it was nice to see Dillian after so long,” Fury said. “I believe the last time I saw him was in 2015 at the (Wladimir) Klitschko fight, I haven’t seen him since then. It’s been seven years since I last saw him, so it was good.
“We’re professional men. We’re both getting paid a fortune to have a fight, there’s nothing else to it.
“So, do we need all that ruckus? No. Has it sold already? Yes it has. Am I very happy and proud of what we’ve done? Yes, I am. It speaks for itself, it’s the highest selling fight in the history of our sport and that’s without him even turning up to a press conference to cause all this havoc.
“To be a record breaker is fantastic, absolutely fantastic.
“He’s said what he had to say. He’s fit and ready. He looks in good health.”
Whyte had several spells as a sparring partner for Fury, once in a campsite in Warrington and once in the Netherlands when he was preparing to face David Haye – a fight that never happened.
“He’s a decent bloke, he’s a decent fella, he’s got good morals, we got along like a house on fire,” Fury said.
“When I bring sparring partners in, I don’t abuse them. I put them up in the best accommodation I can afford and give them the same good I’m eating. I look after them, I treat them like family members.
“They’re there to help me to prepare for a big fight. It’s not like ‘oh, if I can get one up on Dillian Whyte in sparring, then that will be winning against Klitschko’. It wasn’t like that.”
So, Fury is not expecting to be able to intimidate Whyte.
“He’s definitely a fearless guy,” Fury said. “I’ve sparred him before, he didn’t show any weaknesses. I’m not going to sit here and slate the fella because I’ve not got anything to slate him on, just like he ain’t got anything to slate me on. I’m anticipating a good, strong fight.”
Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.
