Tyson Fury has joked that Dillian Whyte stopped badmouthing him to avoid having his £6million fight purse reduced.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury and mandatory challenger Whyte will fight at Wembley Stadium on April 23.
'The Bodysnatcher' delayed signing for the fight until the last minute and didn't turn up to their press conference last week.
Whyte pushed hard for a world title fight with Fury but has stayed quiet on social media since their clash was announced.
And Fury claims Whyte's silence is because he warned the interim titleholder his fight purse would be reduced every time that he badmouthed him.
"I did tell him on Instagram a few months ago, every time you call me a bad name your percentage will go down. He didn't call me many bad names after that," Fury told Queensbury Promotions.
"That's why he went quiet. He did go quiet when I did tell him that, I think 20 per cent for him is more than fair. He could get a possible [£10million] if he beats me.
"That there compared to his last fight when he got £250,000, that's a lot of money. That's seven times more than I got to fight Wladimir Klitschko.
"I was like ten times bigger than he was on that stage, so he's got to be very very thankful to me. If I was him I'd be sending me gifts and stuff through the post.
"I think he thinks everybody owes him something, I'm not sure why or what he's done to think that. We'll find out on the night, he can't run away in the ring."
Fury, who had expected a verbal back and forth with Whyte before their fight, mocked his rival by facing off with thin air at their press conference.
Who wins - Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
'The Gypsy King' believes Whyte's reluctance to attend the press conference and promote the fight is because he won't make any more money in doing so.
Whyte thinks that Fury doesn't want to fight him and will pull out of their meeting, something Fury is baffled by given the career-high payday he stands to get.
"Why wouldn't I fight. I'm getting $32million. Come on, career-highest payday and if I beat him I get an extra 10 per cent of his purse as well," he continued.
"Absolutely fantastic. The only person who probably won't turn up is him, but then again he will turn up because he's getting a big payday so he has to turn up.
"As far as I'm concerned, cannot wait for the fight. Give him a good hiding and then move on."
