WBC heavyweight contender, Dillian Whyte, has spoken up ahead of his upcoming fixture against Tyson Fury. Whyte, who has been away from the media for a while now, has said that next week’s fight was not “Tyson’s show” but a fight between two boxers, saying he was going to play by his rules.

He said: “This is a business. It’s not the Tyson Fury show. Everybody is saying Tyson Fury this, Tyson Fury that. This fight sold out because of me and Tyson Fury. Tyson Fury fought Wilder. He’s a big superstar. It’s not just the Tyson Fury show, it’s the Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte show, so some things need to be done correctly.

“I don’t dance to nobody’s tune. I’m a warrior, we can dance together, but it can’t be one-way traffic.

Whyte’s statement comes after Fury’s name has dominated the media in the past months on account of him being quite outspoken. Unlike Whyte, Fury is very active on social media and does not waste time when the spotlight is on him. His name has made the news more in connection with the fight. So in a way, the media has managed to centre the fight around Fury. But this does not mean Whyte has been forgotten. He has not just made the news, which is not a bad thing.

Still, Whyte has made his mind known that he is bringing just as much to the fight as Fury and should be given the same level of respect.

Fury has also not been silent. This week, he revealed that retirement was not in our plans at this point. This is totally different from his position a few months back when he said he was going to retire just after the fixture against Whyte. When asked if he was still thinking about retiring, he said, “I am only thinking about Dillian Whyte at this moment. I am not thinking about retirement.”

What he did say, however, was that after the fight with Whyte, he was going to be named the new patron Saint of England, owing to his skills.

Written by: Leon Osamor