Dillian Whyte has no concerns about Tyson Fury’s supposed physical advantages come fight night.
The British heavyweights are set to face each other April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London for Fury’s WBC title. After taking an extended media hibernation, presumably as retaliation to demands that were unmet by Fury’s promoters Top Rank and Queensbury, Whyte broke his silence last week to do his bit in shining a light on the event, which will air on pay-per-view (BT Sport Box Office in the UK and ESPN+ in the US).
Not one to understate his abilities, Whyte, who certainly cuts a burly figure, immediately thrust himself among boxing history’s most strapping heavyweights.
“I’m probably one of the strongest boxers to ever live,” Whyte told BT Sport in a televised sit-down interview. “Physically, I’m probably the strongest boxer to ever live in any era. I’m not someone that says these things or talks lightly about these things. He’s (Fury) a big guy, he’s taller than me, he’s this, that, and the other and whatever, but Tyson Fury is not the most physically strong guy, you know?
The 6’4” Whyte typically fights at around the 250-pound mark in most of his recent fights. He clocked in at 247 pounds in his last outing against Alexander Povetkin, a rematch which Whyte won decisively by fourth-round stoppage. In 2019, he weighed 271 pounds ahead of his fight with Mariusz Wach, although Whyte has said that was an anomaly.
Fury, who is five inches taller than Whyte at 6’9”, has chosen to come in a bit heavier than his career average in his last couple of fights. He weighed 277 pounds in his last bout against Deontay Wilder in their trilogy last year, and 273 pounds against Wilder in the second meeting in 2020. In his last two fights against Wilder, the normally fleet-footed Fury showcased a far more aggressive style in the ring that worked to his advantage.
Asked why he is so confident about being stronger than Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs), Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) pointed to the fact that it took Fury 11 rounds to stop Wilder in their trilogy bout after hurting and dropping the hard-hitting Alabamian in the third.
“I know that from being around him," Whyte said, who has sparred with Fury in the past. "Look how long it took him to finish Wilder. Wilder was done after three rounds. Wilder was breathing out of his ass after three rounds."
