Tyson Fury defense vs. Dillian Whyte official for April 23 at Wembley Stadium
Heavyweight championship at stake in all-British showdown
A quick note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: If you have upgraded to a paid subscription, thank you! If you have not, please consider doing so to receive the most content. A paid subscription is also your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism.
After all of the back-and-forth between the fighters, legal wrangling and contract signing drama, the fight between heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and WBC interim titlist and mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte is official.
They will fight on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London, Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoters, announced on Friday.
The fight, which will be televised via ESPN PPV in the United States and BT Sport Box Office in the United Kingdom, is one of the biggest all-British bouts in history. Tickets go on sale on March 2.
Fury (30-0-1, 22 KOs), 33, will be making the eighth defense of the lineal championship and the second defense of the WBC belt, which he won from Deontay Wilder in their second fight in February 2020 and retained by 11th-round knockout of Wilder in their third fight this past October in the 2021 fight of the year.
Fury has had his last five fights in the United States — four in Las Vegas and one in Los Angeles — and will be boxing at home in the U.K. for the first time since August 2018.
“Tyson Fury coming home to fight under the arch at Wembley Stadium is a fitting reward for the No.1 heavyweight in the world following his exploits across the Atlantic in his epic trilogy against Deontay Wilder," Warren said in making the announcement. “The fact that this mandatory defense of his WBC title comes against another Brit only adds to the occasion. They are two of the biggest characters in British sport and both normally have plenty to say for themselves.
“It is going to be an incredible night and a huge occasion for sport in this country that will capture the imagination of fans right across the world.”
Warren, in conjunction with Top Rank, won the promotional rights to the bout on Jan. 28 with a record-breaking purse bid of $41,025,000 to beat the only other offer — the second-biggest ever made at a purse bid — of $32,222,222 submitted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, Whyte’s longtime promoter.
“Tyson Fury conquered America, and it is only fitting that he defends the heavyweight championship in a packed Wembley Stadium,” Arum said. “Dillian Whyte has called for this fight for years, and while he is a deserving challenger, no heavyweight can match ‘The Gypsy King.’ This is going to be a momentous night of boxing with tens of thousands of fans in attendance at Wembley Stadium.”
The biggest crowd for a fight at Wembley Stadium was when Anthony Joshua defended his unified heavyweight titles against former champion Wladimir Klitschko in the 2017 fight of the year. It drew a 90,000.
Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), 34, has defeated several notable opponents, including former titleholder Joseph Parker, Oscar Rivas, Robert Helenius, Lucas Browne, and Derek Chisora twice. He suffered an upset fifth-round knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin in August 2020 but avenged the defeat in an immediate rematch in March 2021, knocking him out in the fourth round to regain the interim belt and send Povetkin into retirement.
To upgrade your subscription please go here: https://danrafael.substack.com/subscribe
Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing
We may not have heard the last about the purse split as I understand the CAS hasn't reached its final decision yet.
In my experience Wembley is a terrible venue for a big fight.
Unless you're within 25 yards or so of the ring you end up just watching the screens which means you may as well have stayed home and watched it on TV.
I think the UK needs a large venue specifically tailored for boxing and able to take crowds of 70K.
Perhaps something like the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.