"He's not in it for anything other than to win" - David Haye on Dillian Whyte vs. Tyson Fury
Dillian Whyte is scheduled to fight Tyson Fury on April 23 in London, England. Whyte has been notably absent from much of the build-up and did not show up to the press conference on April 11th. He has also effectively gone on a media blackout, avoiding social media and interviews.
David Haye, a former Cruiserweight and Heavyweight World Champion, was interviewed by iFL TV about the upcoming bout. He was asked about what he thinks is going through Whyte's mind right now:
"What's going through his mind is: 'I want to win this fight,' and by tweeting, by doing Instagram pictures, by getting on a private jet and flying to London, that's not going to increase his chances of victory when the first bell goes. What that's going to do is assist in the help of the promotion to make more money."
Haye stated that Dillian Whyte is probably not contractually obligated to promote the fight. His mind is focused on training for, and then winning, the upcoming bout. 'Hayemaker' continued:
"I get it. I respect it because not many people would by ballsy enough to just go against the usual system that the whole boxing circus brings... I actually like it. It shows me that he's not in it for anything other than to win... If I was promoting him, I'd hate it, I'd be pulling my hair out."
Check out the full interview with David Haye here:
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte
Dillian Whyte, 'The Body Snatcher', will be challenging Fury for his WBC and The Ring Heavyweight Titles. Fury won the title in February 2020 in his rematch with Deontay Wilder. He successfully defended the title against Wilder in 2021. He has a record of 31-0-1 with 22 knockouts. Whyte has a record of 28-2-0 with 19 knockouts.
Tyson Fury, 'The Gypsy King', is well-known for his pre-fight antics and his mental battles with opponents before they step into the ring. It is likely that Whyte's decision to avoid the press conference and social media is an attempt to sidestep these psychological battles and focus exclusively on the fight itself.