Dillian Whyte will not take part in today's public workout ahead of his clash with heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury on Saturday night.
Whyte, Fury and the rest of the Wembley fight card were due to take part in the largely ceremonial event in London this afternoon. But while Fury arrived early to soak up the atmosphere, Whyte opted to stay away having flown in from Portugal earlier this week.
Whyte has remained largely silent in the build-up to his first world title fight having been unhappy with how he has been treated. He took part in a media conference call last week and has given several interviews in recent days and the Londoner is expected to take part in tomorrow's press conference and Friday's weigh-in.
But he opted to skip Tuesday's event having felt he is not contractually obliged to attend. "This is a business," Whyte said last week. "It's not the Tyson Fury show. Everybody saying Tyson Fury this, Tyson Fury that.
"This fight sold out because of me and Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury fought Wilder, he's a big superstar. It's not just the Tyson Fury show, it's the Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte show so some things need to be done correctly. I don't dance to nobody's tune, I'm a warrior, we can dance together but it can't be one-way traffic.
"I'm a disciplined guy and I've learned to be disciplined over the years. Okay, you want me to do things? That's cool, I'm up for that, I'm a professional, I've had six or seven pay-per-view shows and worked hard on all of them and looked after my opponents and dealt with them correctly.
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"When these guys are trying to mug me off and treat me like it's the Tyson Fury show, they've got to get certain things correct. I'm a professional at the end of the day, so here I am. I'm here and ready."
Whyte was a no-show at the national stadium on March 1, a week after the all-British bout for April 23 had been agreed after promoter Frank Warren won a record purse bid of $41million to stage the fight. Whyte, who was first in line for a world title shot in 2017, is entitled to 20 per cent of the purse and reportedly turned down the offer of a private jet to fly him in from his Portugal training base for last month’s press conference.
Fury enjoyed the chance to put on a one-man show, but co-promoter Warren labelled mandatory challenger Whyte a “disgrace” only for this week to bring a change in tack from the Londoner, who sent a social media post to promote the bout last Wednesday before he attended Thursday’s virtual press call.
