Tyson Fury has confirmed he will face Dillian Whyte in his next fight after vowing to “annihilate” the mandatory challenger for his WBC heavyweight title.
Fury was mandated to face Whyte after beating Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight in October.
The two camps have struggled to negotiate the terms of the fight, with Whyte reportedly unhappy with an 80-20 split in favour of Fury.
A purse bid for the bout was pushed back four times in an effort to allow the fighters to come to an agreement, with the fight finally announced on Thursday.
Backers in the Middle East had also explored the possibility of a unification fight between Fury with Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles after beating Anthony Joshua in September.
Joshua has a rematch clause in his contract with Usyk but was reportedly offered £15m to step-aside, with Whyte also offered £5m to allow Fury to face the Ukrainian for the undisputed heavyweight title.
However, Fury took to social media on Thursday to challenge Whyte - suggesting either the Brixton fighter or Joshua rejected the step-aside money.
“I can't wait to punch Dillian Whyte's face right in," Fury said in a video posted on Instagram.
"I'm going to give him the best hiding he's ever had in his life. Train hard sucker because you're getting annihilated, bum.”
Fury has labelled Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn as “the worst businessmen in history” after claiming they have turned down the chance to make $90m (£67m), with Joshua potentially offered the chance to face the winner of a fight between Fury and Usyk.
In another video on social media, Fury said: “Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua have to be the worst damn businessmen in history!
“Today they lost $90m, goddamn sons of b****es, crazy!”
Fury then turned his attention to Whyte, telling him: “Time to step up and take your beating.”
Fury’s announcement means Joshua is set to face Usyk in a rematch later this year.
Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are reportedly in the running to host the fight.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy & Twitter: Tyson FuryTopics: Boxing, Heavyweight Boxing, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte
Rory O'Callaghan