Bob Arum brands Dillian Whyte "very greedy" for demanding 55/45 split
WBC interim champion and Tyson Fury's mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte is being "very greedy" during the locked negotiations according to promoter Bob Arum.
Top Rank's Arum told iFL TV, "Dillian Whyte could have that fight. We would do that fight. But they're – in our view – very greedy with what they're asking."
He continued to reveal further details of the negotiation process, "We've offered them a big, good deal – a purse deal far more than they've ever gotten in any fight, and that hasn't moved them.
"We've talked to the head of the WBC – Mauricio Sulaiman and he said, 'Look, it breaks my heart, but go find another opponent, fight without the WBC title, we're not gonna take it away from you, and go about your business.'
"Tyson will just have to fight for the Ring Magazine title, he'll save the sanctioning fee money. Hopefully, he'll be successful, then Usyk and Joshua will have fought and the winner will be out there, and he'll go on to fight them with or without the WBC title."
Whyte is reportedly chasing a 55/45 purse split, but Arum stated they opened terms with an offer of 25% with a guarantee, but his eight-figure demands are out of the question, "They are just being greedy and that's one thing that's really bad about boxing," Arum added. "Dillian Whyte should really come to the table and make the deal to fight Tyson Fury. But that's not likely to happen, so they're gonna play out the arbitration and Frank Warren and I are looking for another opponent to do Fury's fight in Manchester or Las Vegas.
"Andy Ruiz Jr. is a possibility; Robert Helenius, big Finnish kid who can really fight – those are the two principle guys."
Mexican-American Ruiz Jr. has fought just once in the past two years, which was a 12-round unanimous decision victory over fellow Mexican-American Chris Arreola Jr.
'The Nordic Nightmare' Helenius has won his last three fights, which includes a brace of TKO wins over Adam Kownacki in WBA eliminator contests.
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