Dillian Whyte Breaks Down What Went Wrong Against Tyson Fury
After years of arguing and being pushed on the backburner, Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte (28-3, 19 KOs) got his long-awaited opportunity to fight for the WBC heavyweight title. On April 23. In front of 94,000 boisterous fans at Webley Arena in Wembly, England, Whyte stepped in the ring to face WBC champ Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs).
In the pre-fight lead-up, Whyte was confident he could overwhelm the champ, and take care of business on the way to hearing his name announced as the new champ. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. In the end, Whyte came out on the losing end, getting stopped in six rounds after being put down from a Fury right uppercut.
It was a crushing outcome for the challenger. According to UK source Talksport, Whyte talked to BBC and said he was just starting to figure things out and get to Fury before getting dropped.
STATING HIS CASE
“I don’t think there was a lot in the fight, it was a close fight. The game plan was starting to come on more and more. It was to press him, obviously. Work the body, and then start moving forward. Sometimes you’re in there, you see something else, and you make a decision. It didn’t pay off.
I went left, right, and then I’m saying, ‘Okay, maybe now I can go one slip and come back with a shot.’ But it was one slip, and then I got caught with the shot. It is what it is, man. I didn’t feel like I was outclassed in there or he was this level, and I was that level.”
NEVER SEEMED COMFORTABLE
Whyte may feel he was competitive. However, from the opening bell, “The Body Snatcher” had difficulty dealing with the skill and size of the 6’9” Fury. In a strange move, the challenger started the match by boxing southpaw. It was a wasted strategy that was not beneficial in the slightest.
Many observers felt going in that the 34-year-old’s best shot was to be aggressive and get inside the length of the champ. But you failed to see Whyte fight with passion and intensity. Instead, he generally fought at Fury’s pace.
Throughout his career, Whyte has been susceptible to right uppercuts. That punch has hurt him on numerous occasions throughout his career. Ironically, it was the punch that caused his demise against Fury.
STILL A COMMODITY
Despite the setback, many will consider Whyte a viable name in the division moving forward. If Fury sticks to his plans to retire, you could see Whyte getting back into world title contention sooner than later. Look for his promoter, Eddie Hearn, to start working behind the scenes planting the seeds for his fighter’s rebuild. It will be interesting to see where Whyte goes from here.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
