By Barry Holbrook: Frank Warren says NO British judges will work the Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte fight on April 23rd at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
After the controversial 12 round split decision defeat by Jack Catterall against undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor, there’s been a lot of criticism about the UK judges.
One way of avoiding a potential repeat of that type of ending is for the judges to be neutral for the Fury-Whyte match, and Warren confirms they will be.
Many boxing fans believe that Whyte’s only chance of beating Fury is to knock him out, considering he lacks the boxing skills to win a decision against the highly skilled Gypsy King.
Fury vs. Whyte judges WON’T be British
“There will be neutral judges for this fight,” said Frank Warren to iFL TV on the judges for the Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte clash on April 23rd at Wembley Stadium.
“It’s not an issue, it’s agreed, it’s done. Contrary to my PR man, Eddie has been putting out. It’s actually been done.
“I don’t know, we’re working that out, but they won’t be British,” said Warren when asked where the judges will be from. “None of the judges will be British,” said Warren.
There it is. None of the judges will be British for the Fury-Whyte fight, and presumably, that should take care of any chances for controversy over the ending.
“It is the biggest. It’s great to know that Tyson Fury is such an attraction that we have virtually sold out. That’s great, and it, certainly from my perspective, it eases the pressures a lot,” said Warren.
“I spoke to Bob Arum over the weekend, and he’s obviously delighted too. We’re all happy in the position we’re in and we’ve done that with just one fighter.
“I think it’ll do good business. He’s [Arum] very confident it’ll do good business,” said Warren when asked how Fury vs. Whyte will do in the United States in terms of PPV buys.
“Tyson has made a name for himself over there, and that last fight [Deontay Wilder trilogy match last October] was epic, it was an epic fight, and it went down well everywhere.
“It was the most exciting fight I’ve seen with heavyweights live, and in the states, everybody but everybody, that’s all they were talking about. So, he’s [Fury] made a name for himself, and he’s got his mandatory against Dillian. I feel he’s a legitimate challenger for him. It should be another great fight.
Whyte’s non-participation won’t hurt PPV sales
“No, not at all,” said Warren when asked if PPV sales will be hampered due to Whyte not participating in the promotion for his fight with Fury on April 23rd. “If anything, I think it enhances them. It’s been like reverse publicity in some ways, and I just feel like he’s [Whyte] going to have to face up to him at some stage.
“The week of the fight and at the weigh-in, he’s going to have to face up to him. Something is going to have to be said. Whatever happens happens.
“When I look bad and think about Tyson with Deontay Wilder. Deontay, after the first fight, you couldn’t get a word out of him, and in the last fight, he wasn’t even saying anything. Again, it was Tyson Fury that was selling it.
“Tyson is now a sporting superstar now. He’s not just a heavyweight boxer. He’s crossed over. He’s a big name here, he’s a big name around the world, and he’s a big name in America.
“He’s done something that no British heavyweight has done since Lennox Lewis. I think it’ll do one and a half million buys,” said Warren when asked how many PPV buys Fury vs. Whyte does on Box Office. “It’ll be up there; I’m sure it’ll break the record.”
It’s hilarious that Whyte’s non-participation in the fight’s promotion with Fury is making it bigger by bringing more attention to the contest.
At this point, if Whyte’s focus is on working against the promotion, he’d better off speaking rather than staying silent.
