Tyson Fury has already beaten an opponent twice that he considers very similar to Dillian Whyte.
The unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion thinks Dereck Chisora deserved a victory over Whyte in their first fight. Whyte’s upcoming opponent also feels Chisora should’ve been ahead on the cards when Whyte knocked him out in the 11th round of their rematch.
Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) was asked during a press conference Tuesday at Wembley Stadium in London to compare Chisora to Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), the mandatory challenger who will face Fury on April 23 in a pay-per-view main event at that same venue.
“I think they’re both pretty similar, to be fair,” Fury said. “They had two good fights together. It was nip and tuck in the first fight. I actually thought Dereck nicked the fight by a few rounds. Second fight was going Dereck’s way as well and he obviously got chinned in about round 10 or 11. Very, very close, competitive fights. So yeah, I think they’re very similar in stature and in weight and in style, and I’ve handled that style plenty before.”
The 6-foot-9 Fury stands five inches taller than the 6-4 Whyte and eight inches taller than the 6-1 Chisora.
Whyte edged Chisora by split decision in their thoroughly entertaining 12-rounder in December 2016 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. London’s Whyte won that “Fight of the Year” candidate on two scorecards (115-113, 115-114), but Chisora beat him 115-114 on the other card.
Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) was winning their rematch three years later by the same score, 95-94, on two cards. He trailed 95-94 on the other card entering the 11th round, when Whyte uncorked a picture-perfect left hook that knocked Chisora unconscious at O2 Arena in London.
Fury, Whyte and former WBA heavyweight champ David Haye are the only three opponents who’ve stopped Chisora inside the distance during his 15-year, 44-fight pro career.
Fury beat Chisora by technical knockout in their rematch. Chisora’s corner men stopped that one-sided fight following the 10th round at ExCel Arena in London.
Fury beat Chisora by unanimous decision in their first fight, a 12-rounder in July 2011 at Wembley Arena. Manchester’s Fury won that bout by wide margins on all three scorecards (118-111, 117-112 and 117-112).
Caesars Sportsbook lists Fury as a 6-1 favorite to defeat Whyte.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
