Tyson Fury talks. That’s what he does. Tyson Fury will talk to anyone and about anyone. This week he talked about Anthony Joshua, saying his old rival Deontay Wilder “would KO the bum inside three rounds”. But most of Fury’s talk has centred around the man who is set to challenge him for the WBC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight championship this spring, Dillian Whyte. The latest accusation from the heavyweight king is that Whyte is “hiding like a scared little rabbit”. How has the usually-opinionated Whyte responded? Well, this is the kicker. He hasn’t.
In fact, since the fight was ordered by the WBC and given an April deadline to take place, nobody has heard from the Brixton-based fighter at all. Dillian has not spoken to the media and there has been no riposte beyond a two-word instruction to Fury to “just work” when the champion was goading him on Instagram. The timing of this radio silence is odd. Whyte has campaigned tirelessly and vocally for a world title shot for years, and now he is on the cusp of an official date, he has dropped out of the discourse.
There are several possible reasons for this. One is simply the conservation of energy. Whyte has gone to war in and out of the ring to secure a chance to fight for world honours. Now that chance looks like it’s arrived, why keep speaking out? Hunkering down and preparing for the biggest fight of his life sounds like a wise strategy. The scant words that have come from anyone associated with Whyte seem to suggest this is the case. Speaking to IFL TV, Promoter Eddie Hearn said his charge has been “training non-stop” while awaiting official confirmation of the Fury bout. Interestingly, Hearn added that Whyte “doesn't believe that Tyson Fury will fight him”. Could Whyte be refusing to give Fury oxygen as a defence mechanism against the fight not taking place?
Another completely understandable reason for reticence would be avoiding a war of words which Whyte would likely lose. ‘The Body Snatcher’ is an engaging figure, but Fury has yet to meet a contemporary he cannot talk rings around. Like the brasher end of Muhammad Ali’s patter filtered through a Conor McGregor lens, ‘The Gypsy King’ can make any orator look foolish. Even the usually-reserved Klitschko brothers looked befuddled when Tyson came to town. If Whyte is looking to build confidence ahead of the fight, taking on boxing’s best talker in a round or two of verbal sparring isn’t wise.
A more sensitive issue that may be at the heart of Whyte’s silence is the ongoing matter between the fighter and the WBC. The mandated purse split for the bout stands at an 80/20 split, but Whyte has entered into litigation to get this changed to 60/40. With potential ramifications for his case if he engages in a public war of words with Fury, it would appear discretion is the better part of valour. It will be fascinating to see if Whyte reappears once the case is settled.
Of course, while the purse bid has been accepted and the WBC have ordered the fight, Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte is not quite guaranteed to happen at all. A possible exception of Hearn’s tales of Whyte’s scepticism, perhaps Dillian isn’t saying much because he doesn’t want to talk about a fight that could still fall through. Hearn reported today, while speaking to Talksport, that Whyte received the contract over the weekend and he expects his charge will sign it. But fights have gotten closer than this bout and still fallen apart. Perhaps Whyte will reveal his thoughts once he signs on the dotted line.
The build-up has been uncertain, long and drawn-out. There is an oddness about the fight, with BT Sport and Tyson Fury treating it like a dead cert, while Hearn and Whyte have viewed the whole thing as nothing more than a possibility. The best outcome here is that the fight does get signed, as it is one to savour. A genuinely exciting domestic dust-up for the heavyweight championship of the world. Perhaps on the night, Dillian Whyte will make up for lost time and do all his talking with his fists.
