Much of the buildup this week has been overshadowed by questions about Tyson Fury’s links to Daniel Kinahan. The alleged leader of a notorious drug cartel appeared to hold huge power in boxing – but after the United States imposed sanctions, his influence appears to be waning. The controversial management company MTK Global, founded by Kinahan as MGM in 2012, will cease operations this month. Kinahan, exiled in Dubai, denies all wrongdoing. Read more from Donald McRae:
It’s been a busy night of action already – even if the undercard for a £25 pay-per-view fight has left some viewers underwhelmed. We have witnessed one Fury in the ring – Tommy Fury, Tyson’s half-brother. Yes, the one from Love Island. Mr Molly-Mae took care of business with a comfortable points win over Daniel Bocianski, and then called out YouTuber and budding pugilist Jake Paul, because this is 2022.
Joe Joyce set to fight Joseph Parker in July
Frank Warren has just announced on BT Sport Box Office that a deal is nearly done, and both heavyweight fighters are alongside him, confirming the plan is to meet in July. Joyce, who won Olympic silver in Rio, has a 13-0 record but the wily New Zealander will pose a big test – his only career losses were against Anthony Joshua, and Dillian Whyte.
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Don is at Wembley tonight – his press-box seat is pretty far from ringside.
Donald McRae has sat down with both fighters in recent weeks – let’s begin with the challenger, who was typically upfront about his tough upbringing and battle to be respected by the powers-that-be.
“I’m not one of those guys that’s been visualising becoming world champion since I was 10 years old. When I was a little boy my only dream was to stay alive. I had no time for big dreams. A lot of people I knew didn’t make it to their teenage years.”
Preamble
As Lennox Lewis, the first winner of an all-British world heavyweight title fight, once said, “adversity makes reaching your goals so much more rewarding.” Frank Bruno, his beaten opponent at a windswept Cardiff Arms Park that night in 1993, was a little more, well, frank. “Boxing is the toughest, loneliest sport in the world.”
Both of tonight’s headline fighters understand where he’s coming from. It has been a long and troubled road to Wembley for both the champion, Tyson Fury and his challenger, Dillian Whyte. Fury has courted controversy and battled demons before completing one of sport’s great comeback stories; he claims that whatever the outcome tonight, it will be the last fight of his career.
While the Gypsy King appears ready to walk out of the ring, Whyte has waited a lifetime to climb into this particular squared circle. The Brixton ‘Body Snatcher’ sees his whole life as a fight – growing up, it was a fight just to survive. In recent years, it has been a long, hard battle to earn a world title shot. Tonight, he will finally get it.
After the two fighters’ paths diverged in 2015, this has been a fight seven years in the making – in truth, much longer than that. Fury is a heavy favourite, but Whyte is more than happy to play the underdog. Both men can be counted on to leave everything out on the canvas, in front of 94,000 spectators. It’s on!