Fury eager to prove his mettle against Whyte and then 'move over for the younger guys'

These are heady days for British heavyweight boxing. Its contenders were once mocked in America. Now the rest of the world looks on in envy and Tyson Fury stands at the top of an impressive bunch.

On Saturday night, 94,000 fans will fill Wembley Stadium for an all-British fight, as Fury defends his WBC heavyweight title against a man he once employed as a sparring partner, Dillian Whyte. It will be the biggest crowd ever to attend a boxing event in Europe and anticipation was so big for this match, it drew the highest purse bid in history – $41 million.

Fury is relishing this moment in the spotlight. For a long time he was cast as the villain in a domestic rivalry with Anthony Joshua. But as Joshua faltered, twice losing his WBA, WBO and IBF titles, Fury has come back from oblivion and kept on winning.

Joshua’s belts were the ones that Fury took from Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, before a descent into drugs and depression saw his titles taken away and forced him out of the ring for two-and-a-half years.

He returned to claim the WBC title from Deontay Wilder at the second time of asking in Las Vegas – after their first meeting ended in a draw – and then backed it up in a thrilling third fight between the pair last October.

At 33, he is still young for a heavyweight, but Fury seems determined not to outstay his welcome and says this will be his last fight.

WBC champion Tyson Fury knocks out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their incredible heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas in October, 2021. EPA

“Every dog has his day whether you’re the greatest or not, age catches up very quickly. So you’ve got to move over for the younger guys,” Fury said.

“I said to Klitschko all those years ago, ‘you were a good champion in your