Dillian Whyte insists Tyson Fury is 'not a giant superstar' following bitter contract dispute

Dillian Whyte confirmed he will attend Wednesday’s press conference ahead of his fight with Tyson Fury but insists the Gypsy King is ‘not a giant superstar’ after resolving a bitter contract dispute between the pair. 

Saturday’s British showdown has been overshadowed by the disagreement between the two camps, with Whyte going silent for many weeks after complaining about his 20 per cent split of the £31million prize pot – with Fury earning £23m.

Whyte was a no-show from Tuesday’s open media workout at BoxPark Wembley after flying in late from his camp in Portugal – his second absence from press events after missing the first official press conference last month.  

Dillian Whyte says Tyson Fury (R) is ‘not a massive superstar’ after their contract dispute

He wants the pair to be equal partners after Fury was awarded 80 per cent of their prize pot 

He promised to be ‘professional’ but believes the pair should be equal partners because he has helped sell out the event at Wembley Stadium, which will have an attendance of 94,000 – a record for a live British boxing crowd.  

‘I’ve got nothing to lose, that’s my mindset,’ he said after arriving in the UK. ‘I’m not a Gypsy King, I’m just little old me. He is a bigger star than me at the minute but I am also a big star in my right. 

‘I don’t care what people say or think about me, I never have. That’s why I’m still here. People said I was done after two losses, they wrote me off both times. I am still here.

‘Three great fights [for Fury] against Deontay Wilder and none of them have been completely sold out.

Whyte said there was ‘craziness’ between the two teams but believes they are ‘getting there’

‘Tyson Fury is not this massive giant superstar everyone says he is, he’s not. The fight at Wembley is sold out because it’s Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte not Tyson Fury and someone else.’

Whyte admitted there had been ‘craziness’ between the two camps after his team made a series of allegations that Fury’s team – headed by his promoter Frank Warren – had breached their contract by failing to give his family and friends tickets to the event or inform them of the ring size. 

He said the two parties are now ‘getting there’ but admitted it was ‘shame’ that the fight could not have the build-up it deserved – saying he was refusing to ‘jump to Tyson Fury’s tune’.

‘There has been a lot of craziness in the build-up. Me and my team tried to get stuff done in advance but the other team wasn’t as cooperative. Now we seem to be getting there.

The British showdown is set to attract 94,000 spectators – a record for a British boxing event

‘It’s a shame it has gone down to the wire as we could have made it a major event but this is boxing and nothing surprises me.

‘I am a professional. I do my job. If things we where they needed to be and they weren’t trying to play silly b*****s I would have been face to face a long [with Fury] a long time ago. I am not here to jump to Tyson Fury’s tune, we have to jump to the same tune.’

Discussing the fight itself, Whyte said predicted a knockout and said he would fight a smart fight on Saturday night.

‘I am probably more chilled and relaxed than in previous fight build-ups. I have worked hard, I have put myself through hell to get here.

He promised to turn up for the press conference after missing Tuesday’s open workout 

‘I don’t need months of, “I’m going to smash his face in”. I don’t care about that. It takes me a split second to turn nasty.

‘Tyson has this new style where he is trying to mix so it makes for a great fight. There is unpredictability. One of us is going to get knocked out.

‘He is a good boxer, a big guy who can punch. I can punch, I am a good boxer when I want to box but I like fighting. I have do what I do, listen to my coach and apply the game-plan we have worked on.

‘The key for me is to be adaptable and quick-witted – when I need to fight, when I need to disengage, when I need to go on the offence, when I need to be smart defensively and offensively.’