Dillian Whyte has explained his decision to skip much of the build-up to his hugely-anticipated fight against Tyson Fury.
The 34-year-old was absent from the press conference last month, leading to Fury’s promoter Frank Warren calling him ‘a disgrace’ and claiming that his actions were in breach of the contract that was signed.
Whyte has remained silent while continuing his camp in Portugal, leading to some uncertainty as to whether the all-British heavyweight clash on April 23 at Wembley would go ahead as planned.
But ‘The Body Snatcher’ posted for the first time on social media about the fight this week and then showed up to a press call, where he revealed he felt he had been disrespected and his role in the fight was being undervalued.
“When these guys are trying to mug me off and treat it like the Tyson Fury show, we had to get things corrected. Now we are here,” Whyte said.
“This is business. It is not the Tyson Fury show. If Tyson Fury was the big star, he would have sold out the Deontay Wilder fights. This sold out because of me and Tyson Fury. It is the Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte show.
“I don’t dance to no one’s tune, I am a warrior and survivor. We can dance together but it can’t be one-way traffic so things needed to be sorted out, things needed to be arranged and had to get done. That is it.
“I am a disciplined guy, I have learned to be disciplined over the years and, OK, if you want me to do things, I am up for it.
“I am a professional, I have had six or seven pay-per-view shows and I have worked hard on them and always looked after my opponents and dealt with them correctly.”
Fury currently holds the WBC and The Ring belts, and Whyte will finally get his shot at a world title after more than 1,000 days as the WBC challenger.
It’s Fury’s first fight in the UK for nearly four years and while last month he detailed his retirement plans, which included him eyeing up a Hollywood movie, he has now backtracked on those comments and insisted his full focus is on the challenge ahead.
He said: “I am only thinking about Dillian Whyte at this moment, I am not thinking about retirement. That will all come after I have had the fight and we will think about what is to come, what the future holds for me.
“At the minute I have a massive task in Dillian. A lot of people are underestimating Dillian Whyte - but not me.
“I give the guy all the respect he deserves throughout the training camp, I have been training since January, breaking all records in the gym, so I am feeling good, looking good. I am not underestimating this guy and have given him the respect I did for Deontay Wilder.”
