By Allan Fox: Bob Arum predicts a stoppage victory for WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury over his mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte next month on April 23rd at Wembley Stadium in London.
Arum foresees a fight that plays out eerily similar to Fury’s last contest against Deontay Wilder in October, with Tyson climbing off the deck two times before stopping Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs).
It probably won’t make Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn too happy if Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) stops Whyte because he’s predicting a knockout victory for the ‘Body Snatcher’ on the night.
It’s unclear why Hearn wants Fury to lose so much because it’s actually in his best interest if he beats Whyte.
The money that Anthony Joshua and Matchroom Boxing can make from a fight against Fury dwarfs the dough that could come from a Joshua-Whyte II rematch.
Even if Whyte chose not to blow off the press conferences for a fight against Joshua, that fight doesn’t sell nearly as well as a Joshua-Fury contest.
Whyte’s no-show didn’t hurt ticket sales
“Well, he wanted X, Y, and Z, which under the purse bid gives him the biggest purse he’s ever gotten, he wasn’t entitled to,” said Bob Arum to Fight Hub TV about Dillian Whyte.
“I think Frank [Warren] offered to fly him in from Portugal where he’s training. That wasn’t enough, and Frank said, ‘Enough, no.’
“And so he [Whyte] didn’t show [for the kickoff press conference for the April 23rd fight with Tyson Fury] because tickets went on sale the next day. Within three hours, we sold 85,000 seats.
“If this was another promotion and the guy on the other side wasn’t Tyson Fury, maybe you’d worry, but Fury can sell anything by himself,” continued Arum.
“Yeah, he’s a major favorite in the fight,” Arum said about Fury. “I think you’ll see something like the Wilder fight. Whyte’s a devastating puncher; he’s a rugged guy.
“Fury should knock him down a few times, and he might get knocked down once or twice himself. But I think Tyson wins that fight and wins it by stoppage,” Arum predicts.
Arum dismisses Fury’s retirement talk
“He can say things, and he says them sincerely and believes them for the moment, but he’s not signing a contract that it’s his last fight,” said Arum about Fury’s recent comment about his fight with Whyte being his last before retirement.
“I think on second thoughts when he sees what’s out there like a Joshua fight or an Usyk fight; he might stick around. He’s not going to stick around to fight a secondary opponent.
“If there’s another big fight out there, he will, in my opinion, without question, take the fight,” said Arum.
Of course, Fury will keep fighting after Whyte because Usyk and Joshua are far bigger fights, and he’s not going to want to end his career with this strange match-up.
With Whyte not speaking during the press conferences and not giving interviews, it’s very odd because it makes you wonder if he’s going to show up for the fight. That would be the ultimate way for him to foul things up.
I don’t think it would be a good career move on Whyte’s part to blow off the fight, but it would be one way for him to take it to the next level to disappoint people, even if it potentially wrecks his chances of ever getting another title shot.
“Again, if there isn’t, he’s not looking to spend time training for a secondary fight because, at this point, he has plenty of money,” said Arum in his thoughts on Fury.
“He wants to enjoy life and his family and his wife, and he has six kids,” said Arum about Arum not wanting to give up with so much to gain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLnsVwJVQw&t=4s