London (AFP) – Tyson Fury will defend his WBC heavyweight title and his invincibility on Saturday April 23 in front of 94,000 people at Wembley, a record crowd in the United Kingdom for what should be the last fight of his career, against his compatriot Dillian Whyte.
According to him, his first home fight since 2018 will be the last of his career.
If successful, Fury, 33, would therefore not aim for the unification of the titles of the heavyweight category against the winner of a possible rematch between the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, holder of the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, and Anthony Joshua.
But the claims of the “Gipsy King”, a whimsical character who went through severe depression and drug addiction after dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, are as often to be taken with a grain of salt.
” I’m a two-time undisputed champion, got 150 mil in the bank, ain’t got nothing to prove to nobody he said last month, promising he would be retired full time after the fight “.
Even if he is the big favorite of this fight which can allow him to bring his unbeaten record to 33 successes, the Briton warns that his opponent and former sparring partner ” deserves respect “.
” He’s a good fighter “, he explained at a press conference on Wednesday. ” He has a good punch with good power, he knocked out a lot of them. »
Links to organized crime
” I trained as hard for Dillian as for (Deontay) Wilder, (Wladimir) Klitschko or anyone else “Added Fury.
” I see the odds (bets in his favor) and I laugh a little because they come from people who know nothing about boxing “, he asserted. ” It’s heavyweight boxing, anyone can win with one punch. If I’m not in top form, this guy is going to knock my head off my shoulders. »
But his preparation has been marred by questions about his ties to an alleged organized crime boss, Irishman Daniel Kinahan.
Fury has previously mentioned Kinahan, who was recently hit with global financial sanctions by the US government, as a ” key advisor “.
Dubai-based Kinahan, who has always denied any wrongdoing, is believed to be one of the leaders of an international cartel that US authorities accuse of drug trafficking, money laundering and violence.
MTK Global, the boxing promotions company founded by Kinahan, announced this week that it was ceasing operations.
” Was it a distraction ? Not really replied Fury when asked about his current relationship with Kinahan. ” It has nothing to do with me. »
Father at 13
Aged 34, Whyte, who has a record of 28 wins including 19 by knockout and two defeats, has a lot to prove after feeling unfairly dismissed by Fury, who chained three fights between 2018 and 2021 against American Deontay Wilder without giving his official challenger a chance.
He is also unhappy with the distribution clearly in favor of Fury (80% against 20%) of a total purse of 38 million euros.
His knockouts received in front of Joshua in 2015 and the Russian Alexander Povetkin in 2020 nevertheless pointed to his limits.
Born in Jamaica, Whyte moved to the UK with his family aged 12, became a first-time father a year later and was shot and stabbed after being drawn into gang culture Londoners in his youth.
” If I wasn’t a boxer, I’d probably be dead or in jail “, he had declared to the Guardian in 2020. Now, the one who came through kickboxing and MMA sees himself as the man who will finally bring Fury down.
” That’s what’s great about me. I’ll find a way to survive, I’ll find a way to get where I need to get “warned Whyte.