Dillian Whyte says he hopes Tyson Fury won’t be a "coward" and duck out of a WBC title fight.
If Whyte beats Alexander Povetkin at Saturday’s Fight Camp Week 4 main event, then he will retain his interim championship and set up a fight between the winner of Fury vs. Deontay Wilder.
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has suggested that any match-up between his fighter and Whyte is not under consideration, because he wants to set up a clash between Fury and Anthony Joshua for a heavyweight unification event.
The WBC have confirmed that the next fight for the victor of Fury-Wilder would have to be against Whyte, and the Jamaican-born Briton criticised the pair on Wednesday afternoon when speaking to the press.
“Frank Warren can say whatever he wants, he says a lot of things,” said Whyte.
“I think the WBC have come out and said it for the first time. They can’t go back on their word. I don’t think they would want the embarrassment that comes with that, and rightly so.
“It’s not like I haven’t earned it. It’s been almost three years now.”
The 32-year-old interim champion then turned his attention to Fury and accused him of reneging on fighting him.
“He hasn’t been honourable to me at all. One minute he says he’ll fight me, the next he’s saying he won’t.
“Tyson talks a lot of rubbish. He says whatever he thinks. He doesn’t stick to anything he says. He’ll say one thing today, another tomorrow. His mind is like the wind, always changing."
Warren has mooted a potential clash between Whyte and another of his boxers, Daniel Dubois, and Whyte gave the suggestion short shrift.
“Frank needs to stay off the liquor. He’s just trying to deviate from the Tyson Fury fight. Why would I fight Daniel Dubois when I am eligible for the WBC title?
“Daniel Dubois brings nothing whatsoever to the table. There’s no reason for me to fight him. They’re just trying to throw some bait out there for me to bite.”
Ducking a fight with Whyte could see Fury stripped of his title, and he was in no mood to entertain having to fight anyone else for the belt if it was not to be the Manchester fighter.
“If they strip him, I shouldn’t have to fight anyone for the title because I’m interim champion. I’ve had enough fights to justify being a world champion.
“I want to fight Tyson Fury. He says he’s the best heavyweight alive and he’s the best heavyweight to walk the planet, and I want to fight the best.
“Hopefully he’s going to be a man of his word, not be a coward and vacate the belt.”