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Mike CoppingerESPN
Dillian Whyte on Monday signed the contract for his WBC heavyweight title fight versus Tyson Fury on April 23 at London’s Wembley Stadium, sources told ESPN, hours ahead of the organization’s midnight CT deadline to keep the bout intact.
There remains one issue related to Whyte’s contract that the WBC has been asked to rule on, sources said. Still, Whyte’s signature on the dotted line concludes weeks of drama and uncertainty surrounding the lead-up to another anticipated Fury fight.
Whyte, sources said, asked to participate in the financial upside of the event in exchange for promoting the fight. The bout, an ESPN pay-per-view in the United States, is expected to sell out the 90,000-seat stadium. Fury-Whyte will be a BT Sport pay-per-view in the United Kingdom.
The 34-year-old Whyte, who is usually media friendly and active on social channels, has been practically silent, even in the face of Fury’s taunts, since promoter Frank Warren won the rights to the fight with a record $41,025,000 bid at last month’s auction.
“I can’t wait to punch Dillian Whyte’s face right in, mate,” Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) said last month. “I’m going to give him the best hiding he’s ever had in his life. Dillian Whyte, train hard, sucker, because you’re getting annihilated, bum.”
Fury, the champion, will earn $29,538,000. Whyte, the WBC’s longtime No. 1 contender, will make $7,384,500. A bonus of $4,102,500 will go to the winner, 10% of the winning bid, per WBC rules.
Even with a career-high payday and his long-awaited title shot secured, Whyte pushed for more. Perhaps the long delay to sign the contract was simply Whyte’s way of playing mind games, but now he’ll have to find a way to win the biggest fight of his life.
Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) was the WBC’s No. 1 contender for more than 1,000 days without a title shot before he was upset by Alexander Povetkin in August 2020. Whyte avenged the knockout with a TKO of Povetkin in March 2021 to regain his status as the WBC’s No. 1 contender. ESPN’s No. 6 heavyweight, Whyte is arguably the most accomplished active boxer to never receive a title shot. He owns wins over Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora along with a TKO loss to Anthony Joshua in 2015.
The bout against Whyte, a fellow Englishman, will be Fury’s first in the U.K. since an August 2018 win over Francesco Pianeta. That was Fury’s second comeback fight, after he relinquished his unified heavyweight championship as he struggled with substance abuse and depression.
A win over Whyte would once again set up Fury, 33, for a fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Oleksandr Usyk and Joshua are expected to meet again in the spring in the U.K., and whoever emerges with three titles could meet Fury later this year.