Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte will lock horns on April 23rd at Wembley Stadium in a World Boxing Council heavyweight title battle.
That’s if you believe the UK reports getting bandied around.
Initially, David Avanesyan – tipped to be fighting on the undercard, stated the clash would happen in Manchester Arena. Soon after, Wembley became the favored venue.
But is Fury vs. Whyte a stadium fight on par with Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko?
It’s highly doubtful the clash would make the same money. Put it that way. Maybe Frank Warren and Bob Arum could sell most tickets at a lower price. Then they might be on to something.
However, like Joshua vs. Povetkin and Pulev before them, promoters can do it in a lesser fight. Both times, Matchroom Boxing managed to sell 80,000 of the 90,000 capacity.
Can Fury vs. Whyte do something similar to that? – In my view, it’s a long shot.
Tyson Fury has never been a strong ticket seller wherever he’s fought. Even when traveling to Las Vegas or Ireland, Fury fans never packed the biggest arenas.
So how Warren and Arum believe they can cram a full house into Wembley Stadium opposite another opponent who can hardly sell 20,000 tickets in London remains to be seen.
WEMBLEY STADIUM
Manchester Arena, where Fury is based not far from living in Morecambe, would be more suitable. Failing that, even Old Trafford as Fury is a big Manchester United fan.
Fury could attempt 74,000 if he took the Old Trafford option and then face less pressure to shift tickets.
Whatever the doubters say, many predicted the same of Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook. Some media stated there was a distinct lack of interest. This scenario proved not to be the case when the fight sold out in seconds.
Again, Fury hasn’t fought in the UK since a 2018 win over Francesco Pianeta. Four years on, British fans could be clamoring to get a piece of ‘The Gypsy King’s triumphant homecoming.
It can only go one of two ways in my eyes. Let’s hope it’s a successful sellout.
The views expressed in this article are opinions of Phil Jay.
Phil Jay – Editor of World Boxing News since 2010 with over one billion views. Follow WBN on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
