Dillian Whyte knows he's headed for a fight with the “next Mike Tyson” but still hopes he can end his boxing career by winning a world title.
After a two-year layoff, British heavyweight Whyte, 37, was given a chance in early 2025 when he was offered a fight with the division's most promising fighter, Moses Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs), on Saturday night in Riyadh.
It is the latest test in a life of ups and downs for White, who lived in Jamaica where he “ate out of bins” before growing up in Brixton. The problems were always there, but kickboxing and then boxing helped him find the right path.
A career in professional sports has brought many serious difficulties: Whyte had to clear himself of drug use charges three times, most recently in 2023, when a rematch with Anthony Joshua was cancelled due to a positive doping test, which was later found to be caused by a contaminated supplement.
However, it has further distanced Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) from a coveted second world title shot following his 2022 loss to Tyson Fury until he was given the opportunity to redeem himself this weekend.
“I never thought I'd be a heavyweight boxer or a heavyweight champion. Sure, I got into trouble, started training a little bit to keep from getting into trouble again, and then kickboxing came along and saved my life,” White recalled.
“By the age of twenty I could have been dead or in jail, but to overcome that and start a family on my own proves that anything is possible if you believe.
“I really want to win the world title. If I can do that, it would be an amazing career.
“I have my own version of it, but if I can get a full world title, then for people with my background and how I got into boxing, it will be an amazing story that will inspire a lot of people.”
Former WBC interim heavyweight champion Whyte is a clear underdog to 20-year-old Itauma, who has been compared to Mike Tyson for his knockout power.
However, Whyte can rely on his experience in the ring with Anthony Joshua, Fury, Dereck Chisora and Joseph Parker over a 14-year professional career.
“The last few years have taught me that this is what I do, this is what I love, and I need to take advantage of it, focus on it, and appreciate it. It's here today, gone tomorrow,” White added.
“Moses is the next Mike Tyson today. He's great, he's amazing, and everyone's talking about his fight with (Oleksandr) Usyk. I go in the ring, he does his thing, I catch him and I beat him to smithereens. And then what? People are going to say he's not good anymore?
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
