Dillian Whyte hits out at Tyson Fury’s return to the ring, calling it a ‘piss-take to boxing fans’

Fury's comeback takes place on Saturday against Sefer Seferi

Whyte and Parker will fight on the 28th July (Getty)

Tyson Fury’s return to this ring this weekend should be regarded as a 'piss-take to boxing fans', according to his fellow heavyweight Dillian Whyte.

Fury will draw a line under nearly 1,000 days out of the ring when he takes on little-known Albanian Sefer Seferi at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night.

The self-styled Gypsy King has not boxed since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 with battles against depression, alcoholism and drug abuse slamming the brakes on his undefeated career.

But, having shed nearly 9st in weight, Fury is back fighting fit and Hell-bent on reclaiming his former world championship belts.

However he has received some criticism for his choice of opponent, with Seferi currently ranked as the second best cruiserweight in Albania and expected to weigh around 5st less than the home favourite on the night.

Now Whyte, who is also plotting a route towards world heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, has delivered a scathing assessment of Saturday's clash.

"Who is Sefer Seferi, isn't he a promoter?” Whyte said, only half-joking. "That's garbage. I understand Fury has been out for a while and needs to make a comeback but that is garbage. There are better guys than that, proper heavyweights he could have fought who would give him a challenge, it is a p*** take for boxing fans.

"He says he is the best fighter in the world now, that he can beat Wilder and Anthony Joshua and calls other guys 'bums' but then why is he not fighting anyone decent? He is basically fighting a scrub.

"I am glad he is back but will be having harder sparring sessions than this fight. I think it is disgraceful because there are certain levels you reach in boxing and you have to respect them.”

Whyte will take on Joseph Parker at London's o2 Arena on July 28 and hopes victory over New Zealand's former world heavyweight champion will pave the way to a crack at either Joshua or Wilder.

But the Jamaica-born Londoner has revealed that he offered Fury, a former sparring partner of his, the chance to face him later this year.

“I offered him a fight for September, after he would have had two warm-up fights. He turned it down and rightly so because his timing will be off and I understand that,” he said. "But don't go around shouting you can beat everyone when you don't want to take the fights.

Fury is making his long-awaited return in Manchester on Saturday (Getty)

"Tyson is awkward. He is big but he is not the strongest. He is tall but there are ways around that like putting the hurt on early. He shows courage but he has never been nailed by a true heavyweight. That is why he needs more than a year before he fights anyone decent.”

Whyte had been expected to face either Kubrat Pulev or Luis Ortiz next but a chance phone call between Eddie Hearn and Parker's promoter David Higgins set the ball rolling on this surprise July clash.

Parker is rebuilding following his points defeat against Joshua at the Principality Stadium in March but was in no mood to take a low-key return.

Whyte added: “Parker was never on my radar I thought that he might have a rest and then come back in a lower-profile fight and then build himself back up. He wanted to jump straight back in so respect to him for taking this fight because there are hundreds of guys who didnt fancy it.

“I got the call from Eddie on Tuesday and he asked what I thought about Parker as an option. I said 'I don't care, I just want to fight, if it's on it's on'. He told me to give him 24 hours and he came back 24 hours later saying that they just needed one signature. I had my mind focused on either Pulev or Ortiz so I had a different mindset and approach.

“A few days ago I was expecting to be fighting either Pulev or Luis Ortiz next but this is the heavyweight division and anything can happen so quickly. Heavyweight boxing is the most unpredictable sport ever.”

Like Parker, Whyte's sole defeat came at the hands of Joshua but he is hoping to go one better than his London rival by stopping the 26-year-old from Auckland.

“Definitely a stoppage is something that's on my mind and it's something that I want,” he said. “But if he comes and starts running away, being tricky, then I might have to box him.

“I'm a risk taker, I'm the kind of guy who thinks it's even after six rounds, I'll go after it. I keep going, pushing and trying to press the fight.

“The stoppage is something we believe we can get but it depends what Parker turns up.”