A Look at the Upcoming Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte Championship Bout
Saturday, April 23 the world’s most charismatic Heavyweight, Tyson Fury returns to defend his WBC championship belt for a second time against fellow British fighter and former sparring partner, Dillian Whyte to a record-high crowd at Wembley Stadium.
The Gypsy King
Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury will be boxing again on British soil for the first time since his comeback fight against Francesco Pianeta in August of 2018. Setting a record of 94,000 tickets sold. This eclipsed the previous record of 88,000 in attendance set by Heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua when he fought Wladimir Klitschko; a former opponent of Fury’s for the WBA and IBF titles in 2017. Fury has been fighting mainly in America over the past four years thanks to his partnership with US based promotion, Top Rank Boxing, and International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.
The two-time heavyweight champion claims he is looking forward to facing off against Whyte in their upcoming bout as he defend his status in an illustrious club of only three heavyweights to have won the Ring Magazine title twice (Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson being the other two). Fury is certainly a force to be reckoned with, having won 31 fights, 22 of which were by knockout and a controversial draw in his first meeting against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in December 2018.
He is certainly among the most accomplished boxers today. Dethroning Klitschko from his decade of unbeaten dominance and securing unified status stands atop of his career accomplishments.
The Bodysnatcher
Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte has had a tumultuous career leading up to the biggest night of his career this Saturday. The most noteworthy controversy that swirls around his name is that he had been the expected mandatory challenger for his shot at the WBC belt for several years since claiming the WBC silver title in 2017 then the interim title in 2019. This resulted in tension with the governing body which led to Whyte taking legal action against the organization in June of 2020.
RELATED: Dillian Whyte Tired Of Waiting; Takes Legal Action Against The WBC
Whyte felt that the WBC were protecting then champion Deontay Wilder, having already won 2 heavyweight titles, several regional titles, and was ranked as the fourth and fifth best heavyweight in the world by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and Ring Magazine respectively.
Claim to The Lineal Title
Even though the most sought-after belt in boxing, the WBC Heavyweight championship is up for grabs, the Lineal Heavyweight title, which may arguably take precedence, is also on the line. Having dethroned Klitschko from what was a 10 year stretch of dominance, Fury secured the highly desired lineal title. Many boxing experts view this title as the most prestigious and trumps the world titles issued by any individual sanctioning body.
The Biggest Fight in British Boxing History
Having been sparring partners back in 2014 when Fury was preparing for his bout against Klitschko, both fighters have made disparaging remarks about each other over the past several years in the build up to this fight. Whyte called Tyson “The Gypsy Coward” for not fighting him sooner. Tyson claimed that “Dillian Whyte is a gym sweeper, a bum”. Both men have claimed to be successful in the spars they had previously, with Whyte claiming he dropped Fury multiple times.
The long build up to this fight, coupled with the fact that it’s two British Heavyweights battling to sit atop of the division has really captivated both casual and die-hard fans of the sport. The event has drawn in a huge crowd of fans, media attention and punters alike as a result. For those who are interested in some last-minute bets, BetMGM looks to be offering some great value, even if you are backing Fury who is a clear favorite to win given his unbeaten status. If you are new to the sportsbook, you can see how to bet on BetMGM here.
We for one can’t wait for the fight and hope it lives up to expectations.
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