Fury’s legacy on the line

Dillian Whyte will finally get his shot at becoming a world champion when Tyson Fury defends his WBC heavyweight belt in front of a British record boxing crowd of 94,000 at Wembley on Saturday.

Fury claimed that his first bout back in the United Kingdom since 2018 will be his final battle before retirement.

There have been rumors that Fury will fight the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua to unify the heavyweight division.

But the 33-year-old wants to go out with a bang by defending his belt against Whyte.

“I’m a two-time undisputed champion, 150 million in the bank, and I have nothing to prove to anyone,” Fury declared last month, promising to be “totally retired after the fight.”

Fury is a heavy favorite to extend his undefeated streak to 33 fights, but the British fighter believes his old sparring partner and countrymen deserve respect.

“He’s a good fighter,” Fury remarked during the pre-fight press conference on Wednesday.

“A good, strong, and stable man. He possesses a powerful punch and has knocked out a number of opponents. He’s a man who deserves a lot of respect, which I’ve given him via my training camp.”

“I’ve put in the same amount of work for Dillian as I have for (Deontay) Wilder, (Wladimir) Klitschko, or anyone else.”

“I giggle a little when I see the odds because they’re coming from people who don’t know much about boxing”, he added.

“This is heavyweight boxing. With just one punch, anyone can win. This guy will knock my head off my shoulders if I’m not on my game.”

Questions about Fury’s ties to suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan have plagued his fight week.

Fury has previously referred to Kinahan as a “major adviser,” despite the fact that the US government just imposed global financial penalties on him.

Kinahan, who has always denied any involvement, is accused of being one of the leaders of a cartel accused of importing drugs, money laundering, and violence by US officials.

Kinahan’s boxing firm, MTK Global, stated this week that it is shutting down.

“Did it serve as a diversion?” When asked about his present relationship with Kinahan, Fury answered, “Not really.”

“Doesn’t have anything to do with me, does it?”

After feeling unfairly passed over by Fury when he fought Wilder three times, Whyte, who has a 28-2 record, has a lot to show.

The 34-year-old is also dissatisfied with the 80-20 split of the $41 million (£30 million) payout in Fury’s favor.

Whyte, who was born in Jamaica and migrated to the United Kingdom with his family when he was 12, fathered his first of three children a year later and was shot and stabbed after becoming involved in London gang culture as a teenager.

In 2020, he told a foreign news channel, “If I wasn’t a boxer, I’d definitely be dead or in prison.”

He now believes he is the man who can eventually defeat Fury.

“That’s one of my best qualities. I’ll figure out a means to survive, and I’ll figure out a way to go to where I need to go,” Whyte added.

“I still think anyone I touch on the head or body will be knocked out”, he remarked.