Tyson Fury assured skeptics Wednesday that retirement talk didn’t have a negative impact on how he trained for his fight against Dillian Whyte.
Fury repeatedly has stated during fight week that this 12-round heavyweight title fight will mark the end of his career. The unbeaten WBC champion will earn at least $29,538,000 for fighting Whyte before a record-setting, capacity crowd of 94,000 on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium in London.
The 33-year-old Fury has tried to remain fully focused on Whyte while controversy regarding his dealings with adviser Daniel Kinahan has interrupted fight week. Regardless, the 6-foot-9 Fury is very familiar with Whyte, a former sparring partner with whom he appears to have a respectful relationship.
Most sportsbooks have established Fury as a 6-1 favorite to beat Whyte, yet Fury realizes that the Jamaican-born, London-based challenger is dangerous. Fury has twice stopped a harder puncher in former WBC champ Deontay Wilder, but Whyte can crack, especially with his left hook.
“He’s a good fighter, Dillian Whyte,” Fury said during a press conference Wednesday in London. “He’s a good, strong, solid man. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s tough, he’s game. He’s got a good punch on him. He’s got good power. He’s knocked out a lot of men. He’s had a good learning career as well. He’s got a lot of experience in the fight game. He was also a kickboxer and an MMA man as well. So, he’s definitely a man that needs a lot of respect. And that’s what I’ve given all this training camp.”
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) swears he hasn’t underestimated Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), who was knocked unconscious two fights ago by faded former WBA champ Alexander Povetkin. Whyte avenged his fifth-round knockout defeat to Russia’s Povetkin by stopping him in the fourth round of their immediate rematch 12½ months ago.
Whyte will end a one-year layoff in the Fury fight because he withdrew from an October 30 bout against Otto Wallin due to a shoulder injury. Whyte declined to reschedule the Wallin bout because he pursued a much more lucrative fight with Fury, for which Whyte is guaranteed $7,384,500.
“Everything possibly I can do to train for this, I’ve done,” Fury said. “I haven’t left any stones unturned. I haven’t not trained as hard as I would’ve done for anybody else. I’ve trained as hard for Dillian as I have for Wilder or anybody else, or Klitschko or anybody. So, he’ll be fighting the best Tyson Fury.
“I’m in great shape. I’ve had good sparring. I’ve had good food. I’ve drank me water. I’ve had me vitamins. I’ve had everything, so there’s no excuses from me. I’m injury-free, and that’s it. He’s fighting the best version of Tyson Fury and that’s it.”
ESPN Pay-Per-View will distribute Fury-Whyte as the main event of a five-fight telecast set to start at 2 p.m. ET ($69.99). Fury, 33, and Whyte, 34, will headline a BT Sport Box Office pay-per-view show in the United Kingdom and Ireland (6 p.m. BST; £24.95).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.