Will the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte fight go to purse bids, or will the two sides manage to come to an agreement and reach a deal before the January 18th deadline? Bob Arum, who co-promotes reigning WBC heavyweight champ Fury with Frank Warren, spoke with Sky Sports and the Top Rank boss urged Whyte to “stop messing around” and come to the negotiating table. Arum recently called Whyte greedy for asking for a reported £10 million for the fight, while Whyte and his promoter Eddie Hearn feel an 80-20 split in favour of Fury is not fair.
Now, Arum says it’s time for Whyte to “prove that he is of a world-class calibre by taking on Fury.”
“If he wants the fight and stops messing around, he can get a good payday,” Arum said of Whyte. “We’d like to do that fight. It’s a good fight for the UK. Whyte should sit down with myself and with Frank Warren and work out a deal for a guarantee, and we’ll get this show on the road. Come to the table and let’s see if we can carve out a real deal. Let’s quit screwing around. I don’t know Dillian but I would think he wants the fight. I don’t know his psyche. Let’s let Oleksandr Usyk fight Anthony Joshua, which is contracted, and let’s get Fury and Whyte to fight.”
The money issues aside, Fury Vs. Whyte IS a good fight for the UK, and it could prove to be a testing fight for both men. And if Fury-Whyte does happen, along with Usyk-Joshua II, fight fans will have a great time of things this spring. Whyte we know has earned his shot, he’s been waiting and waiting and waiting. Now, one would think Whyte, 28-2(19) would be happy to take Arum up on his offer and sit down at the negotiating table.
But again, will this happen before the purse bids deadline rolls around? January 18th, next Tuesday, is not far away at all….