Dillian Whyte reflected on his past friendship with Tyson Fury and claimed he used to be a regular sparring partner for 'The Gypsy King'. Fury and Whyte are set to face off next Saturday, April 23, at Wembley Stadium. The WBC Heavyweight Championship will be on the line, and the bout is set to break the British record, with over 94,000 fans expected to be in attendance.
Here's what Whyte said in an interview with Top Rank Boxing:
"Me and Tyson was cool one time. It wasn't even just sparring partners, I got called into camp to help him train because at the time he was training with his uncle Peter, and Peter is a very intelligent man. Peter knew he needed strong guys to bring him up to a certain level. It wasn't just sparring, I was in there for months, living with them in the Gypsy campsite in Warrington and training with them."
Watch Whyte's interview with Top Rank Boxing below:
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte - Is there bad blood?
Since Fury stopped training with his uncle Peter Fury, there has been no love lost with 'The Body Snatcher'. The two British heavyweights have shared multiple verbal exchanges on social media over the years, and each has claimed different stories from sparring.
Whyte has previously stated that he dropped Tyson Fury in sparring and got the better of him on occasion.
"Tyson's awkward, he's rangy, some days he may outbox you here and there but I have definitley laid him out before. I have definitley put him on his bottom before."
Watch Whyte's full 2019 interview with Sky Sports below:
It remains to be seen if Whyte can replicate his sparring claims in the ring against Fury next Saturday. After being the WBC's number one contender for over a thousand days, 'The Body Snatcher' finally has his opportunity to become a world champion.
Meanwhile, 'The Gypsy King' has a chance to set the record straight and prove he is the superior boxer to his former sparring partner. Many believe Fury is the best heavyweight in the world, and a dominant performance against Whyte would further support this notion.