Dillian Whyte explains why he stayed silent for so long after Tyson Fury showdown was sealed

Dillian Whyte has insisted the only reason his Wembley showdown against Tyson Fury sold out was because he is in the opposite corner to the WBC world heavyweight champion.

A crowd of 94,000 – the largest at a boxing event in Europe – will gather next weekend to see the pair collide.

But Brixton’s Whyte had not made any public statements about the bout before the end of this week.

Part of that was down to the South London fighter being unhappy at the treatment of Queensberry Promotions – with claims that he had been asked to fly budget for a press conference at the start of March as well as not being allocated enough tickets for his friends and family.

But Whyte tweeted on Wednesday about the Fury fight and then attended a virtual press conference yesterday.

Asked about his silence after Queensberry Promotions and Top Rank won the purse bid, he said: “It’s not the Tyson Fury show. If Tyson Fury was the big story, he never sold out any of his fights with Deontay Wilder – that’s a fact. This show sold out because of me and Tyson Fury.

“Let’s be honest about it – it’s the Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte show. So some things need to be done correctly. I don’t dance to no-one’s tune – I’m a warrior and I’m a survivor. We can dance together but it can’t be one-way traffic.

“There were things that need sorting out, arranging and getting done. That’s it. I’m a disciplined guy. You want me to work and do things – cool. I’m up for that. I’m a professional. I’ve had six or seven pay-per-view shows and I’ve worked hard on all of them, looked after my opponents and dealt with them correctly.

“When these guys are trying to mug me off and treat me like it’s the Tyson Fury show…they’re going to get certain things correct. Once things got corrected, were close to getting corrected, then I’m a professional – here I am.

“You can make an agreement but then there can still be little underlying issues that need sorting out. When people are trying to play games and mess around then you’ve got to control what you can control. And what I can control is my actions – not what BT, Frank [Warren] and ESPN do. That’s what I did.

“I’m in good shape and ready to go. It [winning the world title at Wembley] would mean everything to me. I was a kid with no future, no family – I’ve been on the streets since I was a child. Everyone knows my life story. I’m someone who came from nothing – never had no sporting background, backing or support. I didn’t even go to school or do sports there.

“I’m not under no illusions. I’m not going around saying: ‘I’m the greatest’ or I’m this and that. I know what I am. I know what I bring. I’ve got pain and frustration to take out on someone and it looks like it will be Tyson Fury, so let’s go.”