Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury vs Dillian “Body Snatcher” Whyte full fight preview

Fury vs Whyte - What a Fight!

By James Blears

WBC World heavyweight champion Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury is relishing his upcoming title defence against WBC Interim champion Dillian “Body Snatcher” Whyte, in front of 94,000 fans, all turning up hoping to witness a “Brit Hit,” at Wembley Stadium on Saturday April 23rd, St George's Day.

To commemorate this tremendous day of England's Patron Saint, the World Boxing Council has created a special White Belt with a Union Jack emblem. After all, so many pubs in England are named The George and the Dragon, so there's no better way to toast the Heavyweight Division, which is the bread and butter of boxing.

 

 

Queensbury Promotions won the purse bid with a staggering 41 million dollars, trumping Matchroom Boxing's bid of 32.2 million dollars. It's the biggest pot of gold in boxing history! 10 percent is being kept aside for the winner's bonus.

Bold as brass, of which he'll be getting aplenty, Tyson Fury says this is a race between a Ferrari and a Vauxhall Corsa! Perhaps not a good analogy, because the feisty Mini Coopers in the film The Italian Job, ran rings around the local cop-mobiles, after the mafia had destroyed Michael Caine's: “Pretty car” collection, which included a Lamborghini Miura!

Undefeated, Fury aged 33, standing six feet nine inches tall, who plans to weigh around the 300pounds mark for this one, has physical advantages. His 85-inch reach extends further than Whyte's wingspan of 78-inches. Dillian, aged 34, is six feet four inches tall, a whole five inches shorter than lofty Fury. It's quite extraordinary to consider that Sonny Liston, who was only six foot one inches tall, had an 84-inch reach.

Tyson has never tasted the bitter cud of defeat, while Dillian's been starched by amateur and professional rival Antony Joshua's big right uppercut and Alexander Povotkin's unsuspecting left uppercut.

Fury is a superb boxer, he proved this three times against Deontay Wilder, and many experts only give Whyte a puncher's chance, but on the heavyweight scene, sporting two such enormous boxers, capable of unleashing the thunderbolts of titans, that's all it takes. “BOOM” lowers the boom!

The only heavyweight champion taller and heavier than Tyson Fury was Nikolay Valuev, who won the WBA championship from John “Quiet Man” Ruiz. Nikolay is seven feet two inches tall and his peak fighting weight was a whopping 323pounds.

 

 

The “Gypsy King” is appreciably more agile, nimble, with enough stamina to move swiftly over the full 12-rounds. Yet, no man, no matter how huge or powerful is invincible. As the sage old timers advise: “If you hit 'em right, they'll go, no matter how huge they are!” The bigger they are, the harder they fall… 

In fight one against Deontay Wilder, Tyson, brimming with bravado, recklessly dared the Bronze Bomber to follow up on a punishing right hand during round nine. Deontay duly obliged with another, plus a left hook and an overhead right. Down Tyson Fury went. Then in the 12th, an obscuring left jab directly followed by a massive straight right missive through the guard and a left hook for good measure as he was descending, put Tyson down mighty hard. How he got up and fought back with astonishing tenacity, says so much for his recuperative powers but also his willpower. That first battle ended in a split draw!

 

 

Tyson Fury has been one helluva a fighter since he first drew breath on August 12th, 1988. He was three months premature and weighed just one pound! His father John named him after 'Iron Mike' Tyson, praying to God, it would give him a fighting chance. What spirit he then showed!

In the final chapter of the thrilling trilogy with Deontay, Tyson dropped him hard in the third, but Deontay felled him twice in the fourth, and Tyson was teetering on the brink, before rallying, re-grouping and then dominating Deontay, downing a weary Wilder in the 10th and then again even harder to end it in the 11th.

Much earlier in his Tyson's career John McDermott, son of “Slamming Stan”, gave him a difficult time in a fight for the English heavyweight title, which Tyson won 98-92, with the decision of Referee Terry O`Connor. But like so many great champions, in the rematch, Tyson adapted, improved and: “Used his loaf.” He knocked down John three times on the way to a TKO victory.

More adversity came against southpaw Swede Otto Wallin, who badly cut him over the right eye with a peach of a left hook in the third round, and then Tyson's right eyelid was cut in the fifth, following an accidental clash of heads. He fought through blood and pain to win a UD. No one is invulnerable, but the great ones are intrepid in overcoming adversity.

 

 

Tyson Fury says he's got £150 million in the bank, but still modestly living in Morecambe when he's in England, and musing retirement soon. As the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler once said: “It's tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5am, when you've been sleeping in silk pyjamas.”

I believe the legacy of history is the fabric tearing at the once threadbare but now lace curtained thought pattern of Tyson Fury, so he'll want to fight the victor of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua. A gilt edge satin lining.

The fact that Tyson overcame deep depression and shed over 100pounds of weight to come back for his glorious Green and Gold era, after two years in the depths of despair, brought on by lifelong anxiety attacks, is remarkable. To achieve such a comeback, following his first phase of glory, when he won the WBA (Super) IBF and WBO belts by defeating Wladimir Klitschko, is staggering. What a feat via fists!

 

 

Tyson Fury's record is an impressive 31-0-1, 22 KOs. And Dillian Whyte is no slouch either. His record is 28-2, 19KOs. Dillian avenged the Povetkin KO with a fourth round TKO in Gibraltar, near Spain, to again become WBC Interim Champion. Full credit to Dillian, even though “Sasha” discovered too late, that he was still suffering from the lingering after effects of Covid 19. Anyone who doubts Dillian's power would do well to remember his KO of Aussie world champion Lucas Browne!

 

 

Dillian didn't attend the first press conference for the biggest fight of his life. Tyson was the only show, and a spectacular showman at that. Perhaps Dillian was mindful of the acerbic and caustic verbal tongue lashing Tyson unleashes, which irritates the bile ducts? Tyson's tongue even defiantly darts out during fights.

Mark Lyson from Liverpool will referee this fight, but no English Judges will be ringside. Robert Tapper from Canada, Juan Carlos Pelayo from Mexico, and Guido Cavalleri from Italy.

Few think or imagine it could go the distance, but you never know. As the Old Salts say, stranger things have happened at sea.

Dillian's best chance is to attack early with a devastating onslaught, targeting the body and then switching to Tyson's head, at skyscraper altitude. But, by throwing clusters of punches in bunches, rather than single shots, which could be weathered and withstood. Being so big and powerful in his own right, makes Dillian dangerous, unpredictable and capable of inflicting a knockdown. Showboating against Dillian could elicit a TNT salvo response. Tyson Fury can set up a KO with long searing left jabs and power driving right hands, headhunter style, reinforcing it with his extraordinary bulk.

 

 

In the recent WBC Convention in Mexico City, the legendary Larry Holmes said he'd offset and negate all of that, by avoiding leaning clinches and slamming combinations into a fleshy midriff to set up a chopping finish. Tyson does indeed have some well-rounded hips.

This will be a ring war of sheer attrition. Whoever emerges from a meteorite slugfest, will have earned every pound, shilling and pence... Rule Britannia!

 

WBC STATS

This will be the WBC's 2,136 championsip fight in their 58 year history

 

  

 

Tale of the Tape

TYSON FURY (GB)
WBC CHAMPION

Nationality: United Kingdom
Date of Birth: August 12, 1988
Birthplace: Manchester, Lancashire
Resides: Morecombe, Lancashire
Alias: ‘The Gipsy King’
Record: 31-0-1, 22KOs
KO’S: 68. 8%
Age: 33
Guard: Orthodox
Total rounds: 204
World Title fights: 5 (4-0-1)
Trainer: Javan Hill
Management: MTK Global
Promoter: Top Rank/Queensberry Promotions

 

DILLIAN WHYTE (GB)
WBC INTERIM CHAMPION

Nationality: United Kingdom
Date of Birth: April 11, 1988
Birthplace: Port Antonio, Jamaica
Resides: Brixton, London
Alias: ‘The Body Snatcher’
Record: 28-2-0, 19KOs
KO’S: 63.4%
Age: 34
Guard: Orthodox
Total rounds: 164
World Title fights: 3 (2-1-0)
Trainer:  Xavier Miller
Manager: Eddie Hearn
Promoter: Matchroom Boxing

 

WBC's Heavyweight World Champions

1. SONNY LISTON (US) (+) 1963 – 1964
2. MUHAMMAD ALI (US) (+) 1964 – 1967
3. JOE FRAZIER (US) (+) 1968 – 1973
4. GEORGE FOREMAN (US) 1973 – 1974
5. MUHAMMAD ALI (US) * 1974-1978
6. LEON SPINKS (US) (+) 1978
7. KEN NORTON (US) (+) 1977 – 1978
8. LARRY HOLMES (US) 1978 – 1983
9. TIM WITHERSPOON (US) 1984
10. PINKLON THOMAS (US) 1984 – 1985
11. TREVOR BERBICK (CAN) (+) 1986
12. MIKE TYSON (US) 1986 – 1990
13. JAMES DOUGLAS (US) 1990
14. EVANDER HOLYFIELD (US) 1990 – 1992
15. RIDDICK BOWE (US) 1992
16. LENNOX LEWIS (GB) 1993 – 1994
17. OLIVER MCCALL (US) 1994 – 1995
18. FRANK BRUNO (GB) 1995 – 1996
19. MIKE TYSON (US) * 1996
20. LENNOX LEWIS (GB) * 1997 – 2001
21. HASIM RAHMAN (US) 2001
22. LENNOX LEWIS (GB) * 2001 – 2003
23. VITALY KLITSCHKO (UKRAINE) 2004
24. HASIM RAHMAN (US) * 2005 – 2006
25. OLEG MASKAEV (KAZAKHSTAN) 2006 – 2008
26. SAMUEL PETER (NIGERIA) 2007 (INTERIM) – 2008
27. VITALY KLITSCHKO (UKRAINE) * 2008 – 2013
28. BERMANE STIVERNE (CANADA/HAITI) 2014 – 2015
29. DEONTAY WILDER (US) 2015 – 2020
30. DILLIAN WHYTE (GB) INTERIM 2019 – 2020
31. ALEXANDER POVETKIN (RUSSIA) INTERIM 2020 – 2021
32. DILLIAN WHYTE (GB) INTERIM * 2020 –
33. TYSON FURY (GB) 2020 –

*Regained

 

WBC's Top 10 Heavyweight Champions

1. MUHAMMAD ALI (US)
2. MIKE TYSON (US)
3. LENNOX LEWIS (GB)
4. LARRY HOLMES (US)
5. EVANDER HOLYFIELD (US)
6. GEORGE FOREMAN (US)
7. JOE FRAZIER (US)
8. VITALY KLITSCHKO (UKRAINE)
9. SONNY LISTON (US)
10. KEN NORTON (US)

 

General Info on the WBC Heavyweight Division

26 World Champions recognised by the WBC of which only six have ever regained the title: Muhammad Ali; Mike Tyson; Hasim Rahman; Lennox Lewis; Vitaly Klitschko; Dillian Whyte (Interim).

89 bouts have been held in England in the WBC history.

This will be the ninth WBC Heavyweight title bout in England.

128 World heavyweight title fights have been held in the history of the WBC - see list of countries below:

USA: 94
GERMANY: 8
ENGLAND: 8
JAPAN: 3
RUSSIA: 2
WALES: 1
ZAIRE: 1
VENEZUELA: 1
SWITZERLAND: 1
SOUTH AFRICA: 1
PUERTO RICO: 1
POLAND: 1
PHILIPPINES: 1
MEXICO: 1
MALASYA: 1
JAMAICA: 1
GIBRALTAR: 1
CANADA: 1

 

WBC Most Memorable Heavyweight Fights

21/05/1966       MUHAMMAD ALI (TKO6) HENRY COOPER, London

10/12/1968       JOE FRAZIER (DEC15) OSCAR BONAVENA, Philadelphia

08/03/1971       JOE FRAZIER (DEC15) MUHAMMAD ALI, New York

30/10/1974       MUHAMMAD ALI (KO8) GEORGE FOREMAN, Kinshasa

01/10/1975       MUHAMMAD ALI (TKO12) JOE FRAZIER, Manila

09/06/1978       LARRY HOLMES (DEC15) KEN NORTON, Las Vegas

28/09/1979       LARRY HOMES (TKO11) EARNIE SHAVERS, Las Vegas

02/10/1980       LARRY HOLMES (TKO11) MUHAMMAD ALI, Las Vegas

11/04/1981       LARRY HOLMES (DEC15) TREVOR BERBICK, Las Vegas

22/03/1986       TREVOR BERBICK (DEC12) PINKLON THOMAS, Las Vegas

11/02/1990       JAMES DOUGLAS (KO10) MIKE TYSON, Tokyo

18/03/1991       MIKE TYSON (TKO7) DONOVAN RUDDOCK (Elim.), Las Vegas

08/05/1993       LENNOX LEWIS (DEC12) TONY TUCKER, Las Vegas

02/09/1995       FRANK BRUNO (DEC12) OLIVER MCCALL, Las Vegas

19/03/1999       LENNOX LEWIS (DRAW12) EVANDER HOLYFIELD, New York

22/04/2001       HASIM RAHMAN (KO5) LENNOX LEWIS, Brakpan

17/11/2001       LENNOX LEWIS (KO4) HASIM RAHMAN, Las Vegas

08/06/2002       LENNOX LEWIS (KO8) MIKE TYSON, Memphis

21/06/2003       LENNOX LEWIS (TKO6) VITALI KLITSCHKO, Los Angeles

24/04/2004       VITALI KLITSCHKO (KO8) CORRIE SANDERS, Los Angeles

18/03/2006       HASIM RAHMAN (DRAW12) JAMES TONEY, Atlantic City

08/03/2008       SAMUEL PETER (TKO6) OLEG MASKAEV, Cancun

11/10/2008       VITALI KLITSCHKO (TKO9) SAMUEL PETER, Berlin

17/01/2015       DEONTAY WILDER (UD12) BERMANE STIVERNE, Las Vegas

16/01/2016       DEONTAY WILDER (KO9) ARTUR SZPILKA, Brooklyn

03/03/2018       DEONTAY WILDER (TKO10) LUIS ORTIZ, Brooklyn

09/10/2021       TYSON FURY (KO11) DEONTAY WILDER, Las Vegas

 

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