WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury may not be sharing a ring with Dillian Whyte on April 23, promoter Frank Warren has admitted.
Warren told several media outlets that he has a replacement if Whyte fails to show for the mandatory fight.
Whyte has not played ball since Warren’s Queensberry Promotions won the highest ever purse bid for any event.
Despite having a seven million dollar purse at stake, Whyte is not participating in any promotion of the Wembley Stadium clash.
Even when 94,000 tickets will get snapped up, “The Bodysnatcher” doesn’t seem to flinch at the UK public being that interested.
Therefore, Warren has lined up a replacement for Whyte, meaning Fury is not sure to be opposing his British counterpart. Warren wouldn’t have a substitute waiting in the wings if he were.
When announcing the headliner, Queensberry said: “The fight will be Fury’s first bout on UK soil since 2018, and the first all-British heavyweight world title fight since Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno in Cardiff in 1993.
“Fury, unbeaten through 32 professional fights, will be defending his WBC world heavyweight title against Dillian’ The Body Snatcher’ Whyte.
“With a 28-2 professional boxing record, Whyte is challenging for a world title for the first time in his career.
“Fury cemented his legacy as one of the all-time heavyweight greats in his last fight. The Englishman knocked out Deontay Wilder in the eleventh round of their trilogy bout in Las Vegas.
Sean Michael Ham
“Whyte will be looking to spoil The Gypsy King’s homecoming event. He finally gets a world title shot off the back of an impressive run of form that includes wins against Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin.”
TYSON FURY vs. DILLIAN WHYTE
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte is not one hundred percent on the cards due to the challenger failing to engage in the fight whatsoever.
With an underwhelming undercard, the whole situation could spell disaster for Fury and Warren if it goes the wrong way.
The news will be a blow to fans hoping to see Whyte finally get his chance. He complained for months about being the number one contender for so long.
Therefore, if he fails to take his shot due to wrangling over his pot split, his reputation will go down the drain.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.