When Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte square off Saturday for the WBC world heavyweight title, more than the championship will be at stake, as officials expect 94,000-plus to attend sold-out Wembley Stadium in London.
That number would make it the most attended boxing event this century, the biggest boxing audience since 1993 and the largest boxing crowd in the United Kingdom ever.
Whyte and Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion, have a shared history above and beyond hailing from the country where the fight will be staged, a fact which on its own has certainly sparked interest.
Whyte (28-2) was a sparring mate of Fury’s prior to Fury winning his first heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
“Who would have thought it?” Fury asked. “Even we didn’t think we’d be doing 90-odd thousand at Wembley.
“We ain’t done bad, have we?”
Fury (31-0-1) has stated that he will retire following the fight, perhaps another factor sparking additional interest for Saturday.
“I’m walking away,” Fury told Top Rank. “I’ve got nothing to prove to nobody, I’ve done what I’ve had to do and that’s it.”
–Field Level Media