Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte ready, raring to ‘throw down’ on their home soil

Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte said they’re ready and raring to throw down on their home soil Saturday night.

The final news conference before Tyson Fury defends his heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on Saturday before 90,000-plus at Wembley Stadium in London featured no bluster, only mutual respect and promises of a memorable clash.

Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) will be making the second defense of the title he won by stopping Deontay Wilder in seven rounds in February 2020. He knocked out Wilder again in their third meeting last October.

“The Gypsy King” will be fighting in his native country for the first time since he outpointed Francesco Pianeta in August 2018.

“We’ve had a great preparation,” Fury said Wednesday. “There are never any complaints from me. We always do what we can do in training camps and do the best that we can do on the night. I’m sure Dillian Whyte’s had a great training camp as well. He’s a good fighting man.

“The fans are in for a real treat. I know Dillian. I know him personally, and he knows me. And we’re going to rock n’ roll on fight night. We’re ready to throw down and treat us all to a hell of a barnstorm.”

Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) is the mandatory challenger to Fury’s title after he stopped Alexander Povetkin in four rounds in March of last year, avenging a shocking KO loss to the Russian seven months earlier.

He’ll be fighting for a world title for a second time. Then-champion Anthony Joshua stopped him in seven rounds in 2015.

“Dillian Whyte is a good fighter,” Fury said. “He is a good, strong, solid man. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s tough. He’s game. He’s got good power. He’s knocked out a lot of men. He’s had a good learning career as well. He’s got a lot of experience in the fight game. He’s definitely a man that needs a lot of respect.

“And that’s why I’ve given all this training camp we’ve had. I’ve had everything I can possibly do to train for this. I’ve haven’t left any stones unturned. I’ve trained as hard for Dillian as I have for Wilder or [Wladimir] Klitschko.”

Whyte relishes his second title shot, particularly because it will take place in his hometown.

“It means everything to me to be fighting in my home country, and especially because it’s for the world title at Wembley,” said Whyte, who had missed earlier promotional events. “It’s not too far from where I’m from. It means everything. It’s massive. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for. It’s a big fight. Like Tyson said, we didn’t expect to be here. But I’m here, but I’ve taken risks time and time again.

“I’ve had a couple slipups along the way, but I’m here and I’m ready to go. You won’t hear any bulls— from me. I’m ready to go.”

He went on: “This is one of those fights where I’ve been working on being adaptable. I’m going to have to adapt, make smart decisions, when I need to do what and how I need to do it, and how I need to approach what I’m doing. So that’s it. There’s no strategy here. That’s it. I just need to go in there and do my thing.”

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Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte ready, raring to ‘throw down’ on their home soil

Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte said they’re ready and raring to throw down on their home soil Saturday night.

The final news conference before Tyson Fury defends his heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on Saturday before 90,000-plus at Wembley Stadium in London featured no bluster, only mutual respect and promises of a memorable clash.

Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) will be making the second defense of the title he won by stopping Deontay Wilder in seven rounds in February 2020. He knocked out Wilder again in their third meeting last October.

“The Gypsy King” will be fighting in his native country for the first time since he outpointed Francesco Pianeta in August 2018.

“We’ve had a great preparation,” Fury said Wednesday. “There are never any complaints from me. We always do what we can do in training camps and do the best that we can do on the night. I’m sure Dillian Whyte’s had a great training camp as well. He’s a good fighting man.

“The fans are in for a real treat. I know Dillian. I know him personally, and he knows me. And we’re going to rock n’ roll on fight night. We’re ready to throw down and treat us all to a hell of a barnstorm.”

Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) is the mandatory challenger to Fury’s title after he stopped Alexander Povetkin in four rounds in March of last year, avenging a shocking KO loss to the Russian seven months earlier.

He’ll be fighting for a world title for a second time. Then-champion Anthony Joshua stopped him in seven rounds in 2015.

“Dillian Whyte is a good fighter,” Fury said. “He is a good, strong, solid man. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s tough. He’s game. He’s got good power. He’s knocked out a lot of men. He’s had a good learning career as well. He’s got a lot of experience in the fight game. He’s definitely a man that needs a lot of respect.

“And that’s why I’ve given all this training camp we’ve had. I’ve had everything I can possibly do to train for this. I’ve haven’t left any stones unturned. I’ve trained as hard for Dillian as I have for Wilder or [Wladimir] Klitschko.”

Whyte relishes his second title shot, particularly because it will take place in his hometown.

“It means everything to me to be fighting in my home country, and especially because it’s for the world title at Wembley,” said Whyte, who had missed earlier promotional events. “It’s not too far from where I’m from. It means everything. It’s massive. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for. It’s a big fight. Like Tyson said, we didn’t expect to be here. But I’m here, but I’ve taken risks time and time again.

“I’ve had a couple slipups along the way, but I’m here and I’m ready to go. You won’t hear any bulls— from me. I’m ready to go.”

He went on: “This is one of those fights where I’ve been working on being adaptable. I’m going to have to adapt, make smart decisions, when I need to do what and how I need to do it, and how I need to approach what I’m doing. So that’s it. There’s no strategy here. That’s it. I just need to go in there and do my thing.”

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Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte: date, time, how to watch, background

Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte: date, time, how to watch, background.

Tyson Fury will defend his heavyweight title against British rival Dillian Whyte before an expected 90,000-plus at Wembley Stadium in London and on pay-per-view.

Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) vs. Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, April 23
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Wembley Stadium, London
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+ Pay-per-view ($69.99) and theaters in U.S.; BT Sports Box Office Pay-per-view in U.K. (£24.95)
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • Rounds: 12
  • At stake: Fury’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Fury No. 6
  • Odds: Fury 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Anthony Cacace vs. Jonathan Romero, junior lightweights; Isaac Lowe vs. Nick Ball, featherweights
  • Prediction: Fury UD
  • Background: Tyson Fury returns to the U.K. for his second title defense after campaigning in the U.S. over the past three-plus years. And British fans evidently have taken notice: 94,000 are expected to fill Wembley Stadium to watch him face countryman and longtime contender Dillian Whyte in arguably the biggest All-British heavyweight fight in history. The 33-year-old “Gypsy King” is coming off back-to-back knockouts of rival Deontay Wilder, a dominating seventh-round stoppage in February 2020 and a brawl in which he got up from two knockdowns to KO Wilder in 11 rounds last October. Oleksandr Usyk holds there of the four major heavyweight titles but most experts rate Fury higher than the Ukrainian. Whyte will be fighting for a major heavyweight title for a second time, having been stopped by then-beltholder Anthony Joshua in 2015. He became the WBC’s top contender in 2017 but couldn’t secure a fight with then-champion Wilder. The 34-year-old Londoner finally gets his shot after he rebounded from a one-punch knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in 2020 by stopping the Russian in the rematch in March of last year.

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Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte: date, time, how to watch, background

Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte: date, time, how to watch, background.

Tyson Fury will defend his heavyweight title against British rival Dillian Whyte before an expected 90,000-plus at Wembley Stadium in London and on pay-per-view.

Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) vs. Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, April 23
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Wembley Stadium, London
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+ Pay-per-view ($69.99) and theaters in U.S.; BT Sports Box Office Pay-per-view in U.K. (£24.95)
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • Rounds: 12
  • At stake: Fury’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Fury No. 6
  • Odds: Fury 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Anthony Cacace vs. Jonathan Romero, junior lightweights; Isaac Lowe vs. Nick Ball, featherweights
  • Prediction: Fury UD
  • Background: Tyson Fury returns to the U.K. for his second title defense after campaigning in the U.S. over the past three-plus years. And British fans evidently have taken notice: 94,000 are expected to fill Wembley Stadium to watch him face countryman and longtime contender Dillian Whyte in arguably the biggest All-British heavyweight fight in history. The 33-year-old “Gypsy King” is coming off back-to-back knockouts of rival Deontay Wilder, a dominating seventh-round stoppage in February 2020 and a brawl in which he got up from two knockdowns to KO Wilder in 11 rounds last October. Oleksandr Usyk holds there of the four major heavyweight titles but most experts rate Fury higher than the Ukrainian. Whyte will be fighting for a major heavyweight title for a second time, having been stopped by then-beltholder Anthony Joshua in 2015. He became the WBC’s top contender in 2017 but couldn’t secure a fight with then-champion Wilder. The 34-year-old Londoner finally gets his shot after he rebounded from a one-punch knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in 2020 by stopping the Russian in the rematch in March of last year.

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Fight Week: Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte to do battle in front of 94,000 at Wembley

Fight Week: Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte are set to do battle Saturday in front of 94,000 at Wembley Stadium.

FIGHT WEEK

Tyson Fury will defend his heavyweight title against British rival Dillian Whyte before an expected 90,000-plus at Wembley Stadium and on pay-per-view.

Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) vs. Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, April 23
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Wembley Stadium, London
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+ Pay-per-view ($69.99) and theaters in U.S.; BT Sports Box Office Pay-per-view in U.K. (£24.95)
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • Rounds: 12
  • At stake: Fury’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Fury No. 6
  • Odds: Fury 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Anthony Cacace vs. Jonathan Romero, junior lightweights; Isaac Lowe vs. Nick Ball, featherweights
  • Prediction: Fury UD
  • Background: Tyson Fury returns to the U.K. for his second title defense after campaigning in the U.S. over the past three-plus years. And British fans evidently have taken notice: 94,000 are expected to fill Wembley Stadium to watch him face countryman and longtime contender Dillian Whyte in arguably the biggest All-British heavyweight fight in history. The 33-year-old “Gypsy King” is coming off back-to-back knockouts of rival Deontay Wilder, a dominating seventh-round stoppage in February 2020 and a brawl in which he got up from two knockdowns to KO Wilder in 11 rounds last October. Oleksandr Usyk holds there of the four major heavyweight titles but most experts rate Fury higher than the Ukrainian. Whyte will be fighting for a major heavyweight title for a second time, having been stopped by then-beltholder Anthony Joshua in 2015. He became the WBC’s top contender in 2017 but couldn’t secure a fight with then-champion Wilder. The 34-year-old Londoner finally gets his shot after he rebounded from a one-punch knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in 2020 by stopping the Russian in the rematch in March of last year.

Also fighting this week:

WEDNESDAY

  • Michael Zerafa vs. Issac Hardman, middleweights, Melbourne, Australia (FITE)

THURSDAY

  • Joel Diaz Jr. vs. Mercito Gesta, junior welterweights, Indio, California (DAZN)
  • Yesenia Gomez vs. Kim Clavel, junior flyweights (for Gomez’s WBC title), Montreal (no TV in U.S.)

FRIDAY

  • John Riel Casimero vs. Paul Butler, bantamweights (for Casimero’s WBO title), Liverpool, England (no TV in U.S.)
  • Ivan Zucco vs. Marko Nikolic, super middleweights, Verbania, Italy (DAZN)

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Fight Week: Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte to do battle in front of 94,000 at Wembley

Fight Week: Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte are set to do battle Saturday in front of 94,000 at Wembley Stadium.

FIGHT WEEK

Tyson Fury will defend his heavyweight title against British rival Dillian Whyte before an expected 90,000-plus at Wembley Stadium and on pay-per-view.

Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) vs. Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, April 23
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Wembley Stadium, London
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+ Pay-per-view ($69.99) and theaters in U.S.; BT Sports Box Office Pay-per-view in U.K. (£24.95)
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • Rounds: 12
  • At stake: Fury’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Fury No. 6
  • Odds: Fury 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Anthony Cacace vs. Jonathan Romero, junior lightweights; Isaac Lowe vs. Nick Ball, featherweights
  • Prediction: Fury UD
  • Background: Tyson Fury returns to the U.K. for his second title defense after campaigning in the U.S. over the past three-plus years. And British fans evidently have taken notice: 94,000 are expected to fill Wembley Stadium to watch him face countryman and longtime contender Dillian Whyte in arguably the biggest All-British heavyweight fight in history. The 33-year-old “Gypsy King” is coming off back-to-back knockouts of rival Deontay Wilder, a dominating seventh-round stoppage in February 2020 and a brawl in which he got up from two knockdowns to KO Wilder in 11 rounds last October. Oleksandr Usyk holds there of the four major heavyweight titles but most experts rate Fury higher than the Ukrainian. Whyte will be fighting for a major heavyweight title for a second time, having been stopped by then-beltholder Anthony Joshua in 2015. He became the WBC’s top contender in 2017 but couldn’t secure a fight with then-champion Wilder. The 34-year-old Londoner finally gets his shot after he rebounded from a one-punch knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in 2020 by stopping the Russian in the rematch in March of last year.

Also fighting this week:

WEDNESDAY

  • Michael Zerafa vs. Issac Hardman, middleweights, Melbourne, Australia (FITE)

THURSDAY

  • Joel Diaz Jr. vs. Mercito Gesta, junior welterweights, Indio, California (DAZN)
  • Yesenia Gomez vs. Kim Clavel, junior flyweights (for Gomez’s WBC title), Montreal (no TV in U.S.)

FRIDAY

  • John Riel Casimero vs. Paul Butler, bantamweights (for Casimero’s WBO title), Liverpool, England (no TV in U.S.)
  • Ivan Zucco vs. Marko Nikolic, super middleweights, Verbania, Italy (DAZN)

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Tyson Fury’s message to absent Dillian Whyte: ‘I will smash his face right in’

Tyson Fury’s message to absent Dillian Whyte: “I will smash his face right in.”

The Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte promotion was kicked off Tuesday at Wembley Stadium in London with one key element missing: Whyte.

The challenger to Fury’s WBC heavyweight title on April 23 didn’t show up, apparently because he’s not satisfied with the reported $7.4 million he’s guaranteed (compared to $29.5 million for the champion). The winner also will receive a $4 million bonus.

Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, told BoxingScene.com that Whyte was protesting the fact he won’t receive a percentage of pay-per-view profits.

“The atmosphere is going to be brilliant,” said Frank Warren, Fury’s other co-promoter. “All we need – unfortunately he is not here today – is the other side of the card to show up.”

Fury, who lives in Las Vegas, hasn’t fought in his native U.K. since he outpointed Francesco Pianeta in August 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He hasn’t fought in England since June 2018, when he stopped Sefer Seferi in four rounds in his hometown of Manchester.

“The Gypsy King” is pleased to be returning to the U.K.

“I just feel like the song [by] Thin Lizzy, ‘The Boys are Back in Town,’” he said during the kickoff news conference. “Four years away, and I get to come back and showcase on the world’s biggest stage at Wembley Stadium, 100,000 people there.

“I’m just putting it on so the fans can come. For the people who stayed up to five in the morning to see those fights on BT Sport, now they can come and enjoy an event on home soil and be a part of history.”

What about Whyte’s absence at the news conference? Fury had fun with it and then made a more serious comment.

“I don’t blame him for not being here today because if he were here, I’d have probably stretched him at the press conference,” he said. “It’s good he’s not here, otherwise I’d be remanded in a London jail cell somewhere. The buildup to this fight will be fantastic because Tyson Fury versus his own shadow sells for sure. I will make sure people are entertained.”

“My personal message to Dillian Whyte today is this: I will win this fight for England and for St. George on St. George’s Day. There we go.”

He added: “He should be here promoting the fight. That’s my opinion, and I think it’s tough luck for him and his family and his legacy going forward.”

Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) is coming of his sensational 11th-round knockout of Deontay Wilder in their third fight, this past October.

He won the WBC title by stopping Wilder in seven rounds in February 2020, which was their second fight. They fought to a disputed draw in December 2018.

Fury will be making the second defense of his title against Whyte, his mandatory challenger. Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) last fought a year ago, when he avenged his knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in their previous fight by stopping the Russian in four rounds.

Fury served up obligatory compliments about Whyte to sell the fight but then became more real.

“If I can’t look like Muhammad Ali against this guy, then I’m in the wrong [profession],” he said. “I will chop him to bits. Not a problem. I will smash his face right in. You’re going to see a boxing masterclass. You’re going to see the difference in levels.”

Tyson Fury’s message to absent Dillian Whyte: ‘I will smash his face right in’

Tyson Fury’s message to absent Dillian Whyte: “I will smash his face right in.”

The Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte promotion was kicked off Tuesday at Wembley Stadium in London with one key element missing: Whyte.

The challenger to Fury’s WBC heavyweight title on April 23 didn’t show up, apparently because he’s not satisfied with the reported $7.4 million he’s guaranteed (compared to $29.5 million for the champion). The winner also will receive a $4 million bonus.

Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, told BoxingScene.com that Whyte was protesting the fact he won’t receive a percentage of pay-per-view profits.

“The atmosphere is going to be brilliant,” said Frank Warren, Fury’s other co-promoter. “All we need – unfortunately he is not here today – is the other side of the card to show up.”

Fury, who lives in Las Vegas, hasn’t fought in his native U.K. since he outpointed Francesco Pianeta in August 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He hasn’t fought in England since June 2018, when he stopped Sefer Seferi in four rounds in his hometown of Manchester.

“The Gypsy King” is pleased to be returning to the U.K.

“I just feel like the song [by] Thin Lizzy, ‘The Boys are Back in Town,’” he said during the kickoff news conference. “Four years away, and I get to come back and showcase on the world’s biggest stage at Wembley Stadium, 100,000 people there.

“I’m just putting it on so the fans can come. For the people who stayed up to five in the morning to see those fights on BT Sport, now they can come and enjoy an event on home soil and be a part of history.”

What about Whyte’s absence at the news conference? Fury had fun with it and then made a more serious comment.

“I don’t blame him for not being here today because if he were here, I’d have probably stretched him at the press conference,” he said. “It’s good he’s not here, otherwise I’d be remanded in a London jail cell somewhere. The buildup to this fight will be fantastic because Tyson Fury versus his own shadow sells for sure. I will make sure people are entertained.”

“My personal message to Dillian Whyte today is this: I will win this fight for England and for St. George on St. George’s Day. There we go.”

He added: “He should be here promoting the fight. That’s my opinion, and I think it’s tough luck for him and his family and his legacy going forward.”

Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) is coming of his sensational 11th-round knockout of Deontay Wilder in their third fight, this past October.

He won the WBC title by stopping Wilder in seven rounds in February 2020, which was their second fight. They fought to a disputed draw in December 2018.

Fury will be making the second defense of his title against Whyte, his mandatory challenger. Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) last fought a year ago, when he avenged his knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in their previous fight by stopping the Russian in four rounds.

Fury served up obligatory compliments about Whyte to sell the fight but then became more real.

“If I can’t look like Muhammad Ali against this guy, then I’m in the wrong [profession],” he said. “I will chop him to bits. Not a problem. I will smash his face right in. You’re going to see a boxing masterclass. You’re going to see the difference in levels.”

Reports: Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte set for April 23 at Wembley Stadium

Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte finally appears to be a done deal. Whyte has signed a contract to challenge the WBC heavyweight titleholder on April 23, probably at Wembley Stadium in London, according to multiple reports. An official announcement …

Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte finally appears to be a done deal.

Whyte has signed a contract to challenge the WBC heavyweight titleholder on April 23, probably at Wembley Stadium in London, according to multiple reports.

An official announcement could come as soon as Wednesday.

“Dillian Whyte signed his contract for $8m, what a surprise,” Fury said on social media. … The man’s signed for the biggest payday he’s going to get in his life.”

Whyte, Fury’s mandatory challenger, reportedly had been pushing to receive more than 20% of the purse but had to settle for that figure in the end. Fury will be guaranteed around $27 million, Whyte $7.6 million.

Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) is coming off an 11th-round knockout of rival Deontay Wilder in their third fight this past October.

The native of Manchester, England last fought in the United Kingdom in August 2018, when he outpointed Francesco Pianeta in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His last five fights have taken place in the U.S.

Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) last fought in March of last year, when he avenged a knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin by stopping the Russian in four rounds.

The Londoner’s only other loss came by knockout against Anthony Joshua in 2015.

Fury made it clear on social media that he’s taking this fight seriously.

“I’m about to go off social media completely for the next eight and a half weeks,” he said. “I’m going into training camp to give Dillian Whyte all the respect in the world he needs. … I’ll never underestimate anyone in my life.

“… Please don’t phone me, call me, email me, text me or try to contact me in any way as I am out of bounds until May.”

Reports: Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte set for April 23 at Wembley Stadium

Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte finally appears to be a done deal. Whyte has signed a contract to challenge the WBC heavyweight titleholder on April 23, probably at Wembley Stadium in London, according to multiple reports. An official announcement …

Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte finally appears to be a done deal.

Whyte has signed a contract to challenge the WBC heavyweight titleholder on April 23, probably at Wembley Stadium in London, according to multiple reports.

An official announcement could come as soon as Wednesday.

“Dillian Whyte signed his contract for $8m, what a surprise,” Fury said on social media. … The man’s signed for the biggest payday he’s going to get in his life.”

Whyte, Fury’s mandatory challenger, reportedly had been pushing to receive more than 20% of the purse but had to settle for that figure in the end. Fury will be guaranteed around $27 million, Whyte $7.6 million.

Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) is coming off an 11th-round knockout of rival Deontay Wilder in their third fight this past October.

The native of Manchester, England last fought in the United Kingdom in August 2018, when he outpointed Francesco Pianeta in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His last five fights have taken place in the U.S.

Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) last fought in March of last year, when he avenged a knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin by stopping the Russian in four rounds.

The Londoner’s only other loss came by knockout against Anthony Joshua in 2015.

Fury made it clear on social media that he’s taking this fight seriously.

“I’m about to go off social media completely for the next eight and a half weeks,” he said. “I’m going into training camp to give Dillian Whyte all the respect in the world he needs. … I’ll never underestimate anyone in my life.

“… Please don’t phone me, call me, email me, text me or try to contact me in any way as I am out of bounds until May.”