Tyson Fury has announced he will fight Dillian Whyte on 23 April, as the pair prepare to clash for the WBC heavyweight title.
Champion Fury was ordered in December to defend his belt against mandatory challenger and interim title holder Whyte, who signed a bout agreement on Monday night – just in time to beat the deadline.
Fury subsequently took to Twitter on Tuesday, writing: “About to go on a total blackout until after the fight april 23 2022.
“There may be update vids but won’t be from me. God bless you.”
The all-British title fight is expected to be held in the UK, though an exact venue has not yet been announced.
Cardiff and London have been discussed, with Wembley Stadium a likely location if the English capital is chosen.
Fury’s tweet on Tuesday was accompanied by a video, in which the unbeaten 33-year-old said: “Gonna go into training camp to give Dillian Whyte all the respect in the world that he needs.
“I’ll never underestimate anybody in my life, and I’ll give this man all the respect he deserves. [He’s] coming in as the No1-ranked WBC heavyweight challenger in the world today.
“Please don’t phone me, call me, email me, text me, or try to contact me in any single way – because I am out of bounds until May.
“I will see you all at the press conference. I’ll be training away, please appreciate my privacy and space until the press conference. I shall see you all soon, peace out.”
Fury last fought in October, stopping Deontay Wilder for the second time in as many fights to round out the rivals’ trilogy and retain the WBC belt.
That victory saw Fury move to 31-0-1 (22 knockouts), while 34-year-old Whyte last competed in March 2021, knocking out Alexander Povetkin to avenge his own stoppage loss to the Russian from August 2020.
Whyte’s professional record stands at 28-2 (19 KOs).
