Chris Byrd was not a bum. Not a draw, but a highly skilled fighter that may have cause Lewis real problems.
He was handed the interim WBC belt, because he should have been the mandatory a long time ago, and he was going to court with it. The issue with the interim is that it's even beyond mandatory, as if the full beltholder doesn't fight you, you'll be elevated to the full championship yourself (see the Golovkin - Maravilla/Cotto/Canelo situation). Also, it's a belt... so if you lose it, say by getting sparked by old Povetkin for instance, you can win it back. Whyte is the WBC interim champion, and Fury has to fight him next or he's the full champ. It's that simple.
So there is bigger fight for Fury in terms of money/name/fans/rankings than Whyte, if AJ vs Usyk 2 is happening ?
Lol rather funny how many people in this thread are taking the bait.............. Fury gets asked the same questions a million times.... and people haven't switched onto the fact that he often pisses around with his answers. We've seen him be interviewed by IFL at weigh ins and give a certain answer to a question and then takes two steps to his left for an interview with Boxing Social who ask him the exact same question and he gives a different spin to his previous answer lol The fact he has referenced Parker should tell anyone with a brain he is taking the ****. Parker is involved with his camp and has been for a good while now whilst also being trained by Andy Lee, Fury's cousin. Wake up people......................
To be fair, I can agree with that to some extent. Byrd might have been tricky for Lewis. A lot trickier than Whyte would likely be for Fury. Still, I'd stop well short of firmly characterising it was Lewis ducking Byrd. I think it really didn't matter.
Well, the whole point is that Fury wants his fair share of that money! Whyte does bring some money to the table, Whyte is a good foil for Fury to build a fight up against, but Fury doesn't want to overpay him. That's the whole point.
Clearly he does care about money. Don't believe everything he says. Of course, as undefeated lineal/RING/WBC champion who just finished a "classic" trilogy (which most think he won all 3) he wants to be paid a lot more than Whyte, who was KO'd two fights ago by an old man in his promoter's back garden.
Maybe read the WBC rules before talking nonsenses ??? WBC split for Champion mandatory varies from 30 to 45%. It's simple as that. Hearn ain't idiot. And UK is the best destination for profit. Also Whyte has been doing very consistent and solid numbers in terms of PPV/Buys. Anyway educate yourself: Division of Proceeds in a Purse Offer. The net purse offer (after deduction of the WBC certification fees) shall be divided as follows: a) 70% for the champion and 30% for the challenger. b) 50% to each contender in the case of vacant titles or elimination bouts. c) 55% to the champion and 45% to the interim champion, in the event of such a bout. d) Notwithstanding the terms of subparagraphs a), b) and c) above, the Board of Governors may, in its discretion and by a majority vote, modify the division of purse offer proceeds between boxers in a purse offer in unusual or special cases, like the consideration of the outstanding marketing value of one of the boxers. The modification of the split will be limited to three categories: 70-30%; 60-40%; and 55-45% for the Champion and challenger, respectively, except in the most exceptional circumstances, in which the split may be modified to 50-50% I'm sorry but sometimes the stupidity of people are a bit too much .....
Also there is zero possibility that Fury will drop the title. He need to be a complete idiot to do so. He will lose huge negotiation power in eventual undisputed. And his 50-50 demand in the eventual undisputed will have absolutely no ground. As far as Whyte chances. It's boxing, so everything could happen. Fury for me is already declining, and will have harder and harder time to get in shape, and that will eventually backfired. It would have actually if he was to fight dangerous opponents. It's also happen in Wilder 3, but Wilder is terrible. Get the f*** out of here with that - most devastating/hardest b.c. puncher. He is not. He is the KO artist of trash can, and nothing more. The guy will go down in history, as fighting just 1 alive person who was in his prime, and he lost 2 time to it. Wilder has zero legs, his punch resistance is exactly zero, and he is a terrible wind puncher, that can't even accurately punch when he got his opponent on trouble, he is throwing wildly punching and hoping to land something. He had success because he was in his prime years and fought a bum after bum, simple as that. Fury was badly hurt after the first KD, and that idiot coulnd't land a clean punch, but throwing like a 16 years old street fighter wannabes. Also get the **** out of here with Fury chin. Every time he is getting hit flush he is being hurt. He have a good recovery, but that won't safe him against skilled fighters, simply cause they won't let him out of the hook. He managed to dodge bullets in Wilder 1 and 3, cause Wilder is imbecile and throwing wild punches after Fury was badly hurt. Fury was badly hurt by a complete nobody in Joey Abell, and his legs wobble a bit. Again lucky he was against a complete bum.
And yet, how many fights at "even a fringe world level" had Wilder had before Fury, and arguably Fury#2 at that? A big... Fat... 0. Fury at his best has proven he could beat Wlad, but is he at his best level now? Until he fights more of the assumed top tier fighters in the division right that's hard to say. Don't get me wrong, I'm not convinced Whyte stands that good a chance of winning... But let's not forget that Fury's best win post-comeback is a dude that ducked Whyte for years.
So a Whyte should not get a shot...until he proves to be extremely worth it??? How the eff does anyone expect lesser known fighters to get a shot???