Dillian Whyte is reportedly refusing to attend today’s last-minute ticket launch press conference with Tyson Fury because he didn’t get a proper invitation to the Wembley event.
After months of back and forth between the two heavyweights, the two finally agreed to settle things inside the ring which will see Fury put his WBC heavyweight title on the line at Wembley Stadium on April 23.
However, the build-up to the fight has already taken a turn with Whyte’s lawyer explaining that the Brit will not leave his gruelling training camp in Portugal to return to north London for the ticket launch due to a number of factors.
Dillian Whyte (right) is reportedly refusing to attend Tuesday’s press conference with Tyson Fury (left) because he didn’t get a proper invitation to the Wembley event
And while Whyte would have happily attended the event like he usually would’ve with any other fight, his adviser Jeffrey Benz has revealed that they are refusing to play ball following unprofessional treatment from Fury’s camp.
Benz told The Sun: ‘Dillian Whyte would have been more than happy to attend the ticket launch event but was not able to reach agreement with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions on even his very basic requirements which are normal in the sport of boxing.
‘But they didn’t even given us notice of where and when this one-sided shindig will occur. It really is incredible.
‘We are dealing with dinosaurs here. They bid $41m for a fight but are all over the place. They haven’t even met Dillian’s basic requirements which are entirely usual and nothing out of the ordinary.’
A last-minute ticket launch to promote the fight has been scheduled for today at Wembley
The Los Angeles-based lawyer went on to claim that Warren’s promotion haven’t even guaranteed that Whyte will be paid for fighting and that a complimentary ticket allocation hasn’t been offered to Whyte – meaning not even the 33-year-old’s family are guaranteed to attend.
Benz also suggested that Queensberry Promotions haven’t advised on what anti-doping testing Fury will be subjected to or tell the WBC’s mandatory challenger what the size of the ring will be for the fight.
And with the event due to happen today, Whyte believes that Fury will pull out of the press conference with a ‘lame excuse’, leaving him high and dry if he were to show up, according to Benz.
He added: ‘Dillian is chomping at the bit to fight Fury, even though he feels Fury doesn’t want to fight him and fears that he will pull out late in the day with a lame excuse like a broken fingernail or a nettle sting in view of his track record.
‘Ask yourself, why is he going to interrupt his camp, and risk covid and travel complications, when he has been the number one challenger since 2017 and waited longer than anyone in the history of the sport for his full world title fight?’
However, Whyte’s lawyer has revealed the Brit will not leave his gruelling training camp in Portugal to return to north London for the ticket launch
Whyte reportedly fears that Fury will pull out of the Wembley press event with a ‘lame excuse’
However, while Whyte’s side are pointing the finger at Fury, the Gypsy King’s co-promoter Bob Arum confirmed the reason why the Brixton-born heavyweight isn’t attending today’s press conference is because he wasn’t given a cut of the pay-per-view sales.
Before signing on the dotted line, Whyte had hesitated over agreeing to the fight due to his anger over the 80-20 purse split, a stance which angered his opponent, but finally signed the deal.
And Arum has claimed that Whyte will not attend any press conference before the fight except the final one.
‘He will not come to the press conference,’ Arum told BoxingScene on Monday. ‘We won the purse bid, which was way higher than the next biggest bid.
‘And he’s not coming to the press conference because we wouldn’t give him a percentage of the upside [from pay-per-view sales], which you don’t get in a purse bid. He told us he won’t come to any of the press conferences except the last one.’
Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum (right) claims Whyte will only attend the last press conference
The fight will be the Gypsy King’s homecoming fight after almost four years boxing in America, a spell which included his stunning trilogy triumph over Deontay Wilder.
‘Tyson Fury coming home to fight under the arch at Wembley Stadium is a fitting reward for the No 1 heavyweight in the world following his exploits across the Atlantic in his epic trilogy against Deontay Wilder,’ Warren said.
‘The fact that this mandatory defence of his WBC title comes against another Brit only adds to the occasion. They are two of the biggest characters in British sport and both normally have plenty to say for themselves.
‘It is going to be an incredible night and a huge occasion for sport in this country that will capture the imagination of fans right across the world.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-10563917/Dillian-Whyte-REFUSES-attend-Wembley-ticket-launch-amid-fears-Tyson-Fury-no-event.html
