Smiles, respect, tickles, and allusions aren’t the summaries of yesterday’s Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte press conference you’d expect to read.
The two men, who battled for the WBC heavyweight title on Saturday at Wembley, are both flamboyant personalities and after their cracked and weird body build you can forgive for those who think it can ‘take the lead’.
Instead, the tone is low, which cannot be said for Fury’s suit, until the end when ‘Fighting man’ John Fury, Tyson’s outspoken father, once again forgets that he is not the star of the chapter. presented as he stepped up. with Whyte’s team at the head-to-head match.
To the credence of the boxers, they pressed hard and signaled for their team and entourage to leave, reminding those who weren’t wearing gloves that it wasn’t about them.
Experienced boxing broadcaster Paul Dempsey was the man in the middle asking questions of champ Fury, his trainer Sugar Hill, challenger Whyte, his second-placed Harold’ Shadow Knight, Queensbury promoter Frank Warren and top-ranked President Todd duBoef each take turns micing to answer.
“The fans are really enjoying themselves. I know Dillian. I personally know him, and he knows me. And we’ll rock n’ roll on fight night. We’re willing to throw down and treat us all like hell on earth,” Fury said.
Whyte said: “For me, it means everything to me to be fighting at home, and especially because it’s a world title at Wembley.
“It’s not too far from where I come from. It means everything. It is very large. It was the moment I had been waiting for. It was a big war. Here I am, but I have taken risks time and time again. I’ve had a few falls along the way, but here I am and I’m ready to go. You won’t hear any bullshit from me. I’m going to hunt.”
Dempsey recounted Fury and Whyte’s time together in a training camp many moons ago. The whispers in the campfire said he was knocked down, not that he was knocked down but it was all irrelevant. Fury fondly recalls their time together and told the table above and in the media that they did everything together including sleeping! A Freudian slip was soon rectified as Whyte’s masculinity knocked out any suggestion, joke or not. If there’s any tension, it’s certainly done well to defuse it.
The blue humor continued when Dempsey’s comment on Whyte’s climb to the top (of the leaderboard) prompted heavyweight Brixton to interrupt by saying, ‘That’s what she said’. It’s a nice ‘bantz’, fitting for the special countdown to the big fight that begins with the celebration of winning the bids and somewhere, Warren and his staff are filming a video of them singing. Happy birthday to Whyte. Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan will probably mock it all day.
Matters became serious when Whyte refused to participate in the pay-per-view event advertising discussed. Fury carried it over his shoulder in the only way possible with insults, training clips, Furocity and more insults to his opponents.
“There is no strategy,” says Whyte.
“There are two sides to his story. You only hear one side of the story because the other side says a lot. Because I didn’t say anything everyone said ‘you’re scared’ and ‘you’re hiding.’ I’m not scared to death. I don’t run away from anything. Things needed to get done. Apparently, the war was signed. But there are other things behind the scenes that need to be signed. Me and Frank have come together.
The credit is due to him and my team trying to pick up the phone for a long time to get the job done. ”
No men overwhelm each other. Calm voices, no combat predictions made, all friendly and kind. But maybe this is what Fury wants. Clicking the Whyte’s switch doesn’t take much effort. An exploding, angry Whyte could be a problem for the champion. A calm, cool and collected version could be in Fury’s hands. No matter what the mentality, if it really is, everyone plays cards close to the chest.
Fury co-promoter Top Rank, along with Queensbury, sent President Todd duBoef to represent them and he did a great job reminding everyone how big this fight really is.
“This is not just boxing. This is the world of sports. It is the global epicenter of entertainment and sports. It was a tribute to all of us in the room.
It’s a tribute to Frank Warren, BT Sport, and especially these two award-winning athletes, who have dedicated themselves over the years and worked hard in the gym to elevate the sport. this sport. The whole world will be watched, not just 94,000. It’s an honor to be a part of and it’s going to be a great night. We will all keep this in mind.”
Fury and Whyte ended up going head-to-head for the first time, and the second came in the weights.
Despite initial concerns before the press conference began, each boxer still performed the stare motion without pushing or pointing or verbally passing. Instead… “Tickling, tickling, tickling,” Fury said as he playfully placed his hand on Whyte’s stomach.
I wonder what people like Sonny Liston, 1970s George Foreman, Mike Tyson or Ike Ibeabuchi would do?
Tomorrow’s brainstorming game may not be fun. The eve of a great war. Reputation and ego on the line.
Anything can happen, especially if John Fury gets shot again.
