$58m Fury-Whyte heavyweight boxing blockbuster locked in
Heavyweight boxing king Tyson Fury is set for a monster payday as a fight against his British rival edges closer to becoming reality.
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Boxing promoter Frank Warren has won the purse bids to stage Tyson Fury’s WBC heavyweight title fight against fellow Brit Dillian Whyte.
The Gypsy King’s promoter beat Eddie Hearn to stage the clash with a huge bid of $AUD58.7 million — with Fury receiving $47 million of the pot as part of the 80/20 split agreed between the two camps.
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The Sun reports Hearn, the boss of Matchroom promoters, reportedly bid $46 million to put on the heavyweight blockbuster.
Mandatory challenger Whyte is set to secure $11.7 million in his first ever world title bout, which Fury hinted could take place in the UK with a post on his Instagram immediately after the purse bids were confirmed.
Alongside a smiling snap of himself, Fury said: “Big GK is coming home. UK baby.”
Fury has not fought in the UK since he returned to the sport in 2018 following a lengthy lay-off.
The purse bids for a Fury-Whyte clash had been postponed several times as both parties continued negotiations. But a deal could not be reached and eventually the bid went ahead as Warren came out on top.
A fight between the two Brits looks set to leave fellow heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk poised for a rematch in the first half of 2022.
There had been discussions about Joshua and Whyte stepping aside to allow an undisputed clash between Fury and Usyk. But those talks broke down during the week as Joshua and Whyte’s promoter Hearn accused Fury of ducking a clash with the Ukrainian.
Fury is unbeaten in 32 professional fights, having won 31 and drawn one - the only blemish coming in his first fight with Deontay Wilder in 2018. But the 33-year-old bounced back to win his next two bouts against the Bronze Bomber — the most recent victory over his fiercest rival coming via KO in October
Whyte has suffered two defeats in his pro career — against Joshua in 2015 and then in his first fight with Alexander Povetkin in 2020.
This article first appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as $58m Fury-Whyte heavyweight boxing blockbuster locked in
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