‘If this goes off, I’m ready to swing’: Dillian Whyte reveals mindset during Tyson Fury press conference

Dillian Whyte was prepared to match Tyson Fury’s energy ahead of their first pre-fight face-off, saying he thought: “If this goes off, I’m ready to swing.”

Fury defends the WBC heavyweight title against his fellow Briton on Saturday night, with 94,000 fans expected to be in attendance at Wembley Stadium.

The venue hosted Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference, which Whyte attended despite having skipped the first press conference last month – as well as Tuesday’s open workout. As such, it was the first time that Fury, 33, and Whyte had gone face-to-face since the bout was announced.

Proceedings were cordial until the final moments, when Fury’s father John began to shout at a member of Whyte’s team.

Fury held back his father, while Whyte also ensured cooler heads prevailed.

While speaking to talkSPORT on Thursday, Whyte was asked about his calm demeanour, to which the 34-year-old replied: “If [Fury] is calm, I’m calm. If he wants to go off, I’ll go off.

“You can’t go in thinking: ‘It’s all peace, it’s all calm.’ You have to go in thinking: ‘If this goes off, I’m ready to swing.’

“Listen, there’s a code here, a warrior code and a code of honour. Tyson Fury respects me and I respect him. Tyson Fury at the start of camps says a lot of things to motivate himself, but he understands me, he knows me. I’ve lived with him, I’ve been in many camps with him.

“I’m not the type of person you say certain things to without it turning sour quickly.

“I was thinking yesterday: Even though we were laughing, just out of sheer respect we already know what we have to do and what it’s gonna take.

“It’s a hard fight, it’s a massive fight, trust me to get one of the hardest fights for the world title. But that’s my luck, that’s my life story, that’s all it’s been. But I’m ready for it.”

Fury (31-0-1, 22 knockouts) last boxed in October, stopping Deontay Wilder for the second fight in a row to retain the WBC title and round out the rivals’ trilogy.

Meanwhile, Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) last fought in March 2021, knocking out Alexander Povetkin to avenge his own stoppage loss to the Russian from August 2020.