By Jim Calfa: Tyson Fury says he just found out that Dillian Whyte wants to be paid to attend their kickoff press conference to announce their April 23rd fight.
Not surprisingly, Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) is disgusted at the thought of his WBC mandatory Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) needing to be paid to attend their first press conference to help promote a fight.
On the bright side, the fact that Fury is trashing Whyte for wanting to be paid to attend their initial press conference means that he’s likely to sign for the fight. Not so fast. According to John Fury, Dillian HASN’T signed, and he’s urging him to do so.
That’s good news for boxing fans, as today, February 19th, is the deadline for Whyte to sign for the fight. According to Fury’s promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren, Whyte has until today to sign the contract for the April 23rd fight with ‘The Gypsy King.’
If Whyte doesn’t sign the contract, they’re moving on, and Fury will face another opponent in April.
It would have been helpful if Fury had revealed to his followers that Whyte had signed his contract and turned it back in, as that’s the word that fans have been waiting to hear.
For some reason, Fury skipped over that part and went into a pure rant about the 34-year-old Whyte wanting money to attend their first press conference.
Fury reacts to Whyte wanting to be paid
“I just heard that little sausage Dillian Whyte wants paying to turn up to the press conference. You little silly, fat sausage,” said Tyson Fury on social media. “You’ll be getting that [a punch], you coward.
COWARD @DillianWhyte pic.twitter.com/pEBv5pPnZn
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) February 19, 2022
According to Fury’s promoter Arum, they don’t need Whyte to make this a big fight a success. Arum believes that with Fury’s popularity and over-the-top showmanship, he can energize the boxing fans to come to see his April 23rd fight with Dillian without any help from him.
Assuming Whyte chooses not to participate in the press conferences for the fight, we’ll see if Arum’s theory is correct on Fury being able to interest fans without Dillian’s participation.
“You said you wanted a title shot and have been banging on for three years that you can’t get a title shot. Now that you’ve got it, you don’t seem to want it, pal,” said John Fury on social media in scolding Whyte for not having signed the contract for the fight with Tyson.
John Fury urges Dillian to sign
“Listen, I don’t know what mind games you’re playing, but they don’t work with us,” John Fury continued in his personal message to Dillian. “You’re running out of time, pal, and you’re going to make yourself look really stupid.
“Get the contract signed, get your beating along with your job. At least the consolation prize is you can count eight million dollars. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
“If you decline eight million dollars, you need putting in the asylum. Sign the contract, get on with it and be a man, as much a man as you think you are.
“God bless, we’ll see you at the press conference if you’re a man,” said an irritated John Fury sending a message to Dillian.
It’s going to be difficult for Fury to get boxing fans to want to pay to see him fight Whyte on pay-per-view in the UK and the U.S if he’s not speaking.
The problem with Whyte not talking is that fans will doubt in the back of their minds whether he’ll show up for the fight on April 23rd.
We already saw Whyte pull out of his October clash against Otto Wallin with a shoulder injury, which many fans had doubts about.
Many fans believed that Whyte faked the shoulder injury once he learned that he’d be getting the title shot against Fury.
Rather than risk that title shot against Wallin, some fans believe that Whyte used a shoulder injury excuse to dodge the fight.
“I’m setting up a ‘just giving page’ for Dillian Whyte so he can turn up for the press conference, and I’m going to donate first,” said Fury. “My donation is 47p, you useless dosser.”
