By: Hans Themistode
With just a few hours left before fighting for his first world title, the magnitude of the event seems to have influenced Dillian Whyte.
“I’m going to be a world champion,” Whyte said in an interview with Lucky Block.
Whyte, 34, tried his best to return to heavyweight after a fifth round defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2015. In a bid to prove that he is, in fact, worthy of the challenge. a world title, Whyte went on 11 consecutive wins. Among his more notable victories, Whyte has beaten former heavyweight champions such as Joseph Parker and Lucas Browne.
While a suffocating loss to Alexander Povetkin briefly knocked Whyte off his world championship path, an equally impressive knockout victory in their immediate rematch took him to the brink of championship glory. To reach the pinnacle of pugilistic sport, Whyte will attempt to smash the record of current WBC heavyweight, Tyson Fury.
As crowds of nearly 100,000 are expected to fill Wembley Stadium later tonight, Whyte’s normally stern demeanor begins to change. For most boxers, becoming a world champion is the immediate goal as soon as they walk into the gym for the first time and put on their first pair of boxing gloves. However, in Whyte’s case, fighting the biggest stages with all the marbles on the line, has never crossed his mind.
“I don’t wear gloves to be a world champion. I put on my gloves to go out, not get killed, not kill someone, trying to change my life. I actually put on gloves to avoid getting in trouble but it took my life because I was so tired after training. I’m learning a new skill and picking something up. It just took my life.”
Despite turning his life around and focusing his efforts on honing his skills, Whyte had a late start in the world of boxing. In his first official match as an amateur, Whyte was 20 years old. He will also have only six amateur competitions.
Despite his relatively brief stint in the unpaid ranks, Whyte worked diligently to improve himself. In doing so, he carefully surveyed the boxing scene. In the end, while Fury and Whyte will be battling it out for just a few short hours, the high-ranked contender has a lot of homage to what Fury has to offer.
At 33, Fury often finds his name near the top of the heavyweight food chain. In his most recent trips to the ring, the British star roughly closed the chapter on his rivalry with Deontay Wilder.
Having been known as a boxer for most of his career, Fury has opted against his typical box-first approach. Instead, the 6’9” player lunged forward, roughing Wilder on the inside before stopping him in situations of falling behind. Though he emerged victorious, Fury’s less tactical game plan allowed Wilder to have his moments of success, dropping the British product twice.
Admittedly, given Fury’s malleable nature, Whyte isn’t sure how the heavyweight belt holder will choose to approach their upcoming bout. On several occasions, however, Fury has said he plans to bring the fight directly to Whyte from the opening bell. If Fury proves to be a man of his word, a sly grin spreads across Whyte’s face. If Fury is willing to stand in the middle of the ring and take on a rough and rough opponent, Whyte is quick to point out that he is no Wilder and is ready to play Fury’s game.
“When he presses forward, he is more vulnerable. Sometimes, becoming a more skilled and aggressive boxer is one of the worst things you can do. I’m stronger than Tyson Fury. I’m not Wilder. Wilder has no stamina. He has speed and sport and he is very clumsy. But physically, I have ample stamina and I also have more heart.”
