Dillian Whyte has broken his silence ten days ahead of the biggest fight of his career.
The longtime top-rated heavyweight contender took to social media for the first time since his upcoming challenge of lineal/WBC heavyweight champion was formally announced. The pair of British heavyweights are due to meet atop an April 23 Pay-Per-View event from the famed Wembley Stadium in London, which Whyte has finally chosen to acknowledge.
“I’m ready,” Whyte stated Wednesday morning on his social media channels. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on the 23rd of April. #LetsGooo!”
The brief post marks the lone public comments made by the normally outspoken Whyte (28-2, 19KOs) since February 26. On that day, Whyte offered a one-word tweet (“Disgusting”) to summarize his thoughts on Scotland’s Josh Taylor’s highly questionable twelve-round, split decision win over England’s Jack Catterall to retain his undisputed junior welterweight championship in Glasgow.
Whyte acknowledged a post from Queensberry Promotions, Fury’s co-promoter (along with Top Rank) and whose staff—including Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren—joined to wish Whyte a happy 34th birthday this past Monday.
It has otherwise been radio silence from there for Whyte, who was a no-show for the March 1 press conference to formally announce the all-British heavyweight championship fight, which is expected to draw a UK-boxing record 94,000 fans at Wembley. Whyte was bashed by many in the industry, including Fury (31-0-1, 22KOs) and his team.
“He’s getting thirty-two times his biggest payday,” Fury commented during the press conference, where he was left solo to hold court with the media. “I’ve got a new name for him. He’s no longer Dillian Whyte to me. He’s Frillian White Knickers. He has shown his colors today.”
Whyte instead chose to remain put at his training camp in Portugal, while Fury has also been considerably quieter for this fight than any other over the course of his 13-plus year career.
Still, both boxers stand to collect a massive payday. It will be by far the biggest for Whyte, who is guaranteed to earn $7,384,500 through the terms of the January 28 purse bid won by Warren, who posted a $41,025,000 winning bid—a record for any fight to take place. Ten percent of the total—$4,102,500—has been placed in escrow as a win bonus, with an 80/20 split in favor of Fury applied to the remaining 90 percent.
An upset win by Whyte will put his paycheck at $11,487,000.
The heavyweight championship fight was ordered by the WBC on December 7, roughly two months after Fury’s eleventh-round knockout of Deontay Wilder in their unforgettable trilogy clash last October 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The win was the first successful title defense over two championship reigns for Fury, who won the WBC belt and reestablished heavyweight championship lineage with his one-sided, seventh-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder in their February 2020 rematch at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Manchester’s Fury previously claimed the lineal/WBA/IBF/WBO titles in a twelve-round points win over Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015, on the road in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Whyte claimed the interim WBC heavyweight title following a twelve-round, unanimous decision victory over unbeaten Oscar Rivas in July 2019. The Brixton, England-based Jamaican heavyweight lost the belt in a stunning, fifth-round upset knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in August 2020, though avenging the defeat with a fourth-round knockout victory over the Russian heavyweight last March 23 in Gibraltar, his most recent fight to date.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox