Tyson Fury to face Dillian Whyte at Wembley in WBC heavyweight title defence

Tyson Fury is set for an epic homecoming as he returns to UK soil for the first time since July 2018 to defend his WBC heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium.

Whyte signed his contract earlier this week to pave the way for a showdown against Fury, whose co-promoter Frank Warren won the right to stage the fight after a record 41million US dollars (£30m) offer at purse bids.

And Warren announced on Friday afternoon the British rivals will face-off at the English football national stadium, which will be Fury’s first fight in the UK since outpointing Francesco Pianeta in Belfast nearly four years ago.

Fury has fought exclusively in the United States since then after signing a lucrative promotional deal alongside Bob Arum’s Top Rank and he became a world champion again by stopping Deontay Wilder in February 2020 in Las Vegas.

He returned to Sin City last October to retain his world title in an absorbing trilogy contest against the American, who was knocked out in the 11th round of a fight featuring five knockdowns – Wilder three and Fury two.

That has put him on a collision course with Whyte, who has not fought since last March when he avenged a surprise loss to Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin in Gibraltar to once more become the WBC’s number one ranked contender.

With the fighters’ camps unable to broker an agreement, Warren prevailed at purse bids but there was speculation Whyte was seeking to renegotiate the terms of his deal as he is entitled to just a 20 per cent split.

Fury said earlier this week he was abstaining from social media “to give Dillian Whyte all the respect in the world that he needs”.

Warren said: “Tyson Fury coming home to fight under the arch at Wembley Stadium is a fitting reward for the number one heavyweight in the world following his exploits across the Atlantic in his epic trilogy against Deontay Wilder.

“The fact that this mandatory defence of his WBC title comes against another Brit only adds to the occasion. They are two of the biggest characters in British sport and both normally have plenty to say for themselves.

Arum added: “Tyson Fury conquered America, and it is only fitting that he defends the heavyweight championship in a packed Wembley Stadium.

“Dillian Whyte has called for this fight for years, and while he is a deserving challenger, no heavyweight can match ‘The Gypsy King.’

“This is going to be a momentous night of boxing with tens of thousands of fans in attendance at Wembley Stadium.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale at midday on Wednesday, March 2.