Tyson Fury has been in the firing line of his British rival Dillian Whyte over the delay of their expected world title fight.
Whyte has said that Fury has no choice but to accept a fight for the WBC heavyweight title and has promised to “finish him.”
Whyte, 33, was confirmed as the challenger for the winner of the third instalment of Deontay Wilder vs Fury back in October this year.
But since Fury’s victory in Las Vegas, there has been no announcement of the Brit’s next opponent.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Whyte accused Fury of delaying the inevitable. He said: “It's already been confirmed that Tyson Fury has to fight me next.
"They announced it on their website that I'm the mandatory challenger and I'm Tyson Fury's next fight.
"I don't know where this confusion has come from. He will try to fight (Oleksandr) Usyk, because Usyk is a much easier fight for him.”
Whyte warned the Fury camp by vowing that he will punish the Wythenshawe-born fighter when the chance arises.
He added: “Of course I'll finish him, Wilder is overrated. He can punch, but he can't fight. He's very athletic and rangy, and he's got good speed, so when he closes the distance quick and he lands a punch, he's heavy-handed.
"But he can't box and he can't fight. Everything he does is erratic and that's why Fury was able to take him out.
"He knocked Fury down twice, heavy knockdowns, and Fury came back and won rounds. Wilder is just a freak of nature, he has no technical ability.
"If I put Fury down, I'll be attacking him, head and body, head and body.
"I don't know what Wilder was doing. He didn't look like he had any strategy or anything. He was just jumping into range and just acting crazy."
Fury had been dreaming to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but that is off the agenda for now after Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed preparations for a rematch between Joshua and Usyk are well underway.
