Tag Archives: Dillian Whyte

Posted on 05/06/2022

by John “Gutterdandy” Walker

Former heavyweight champions of the world the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, won’t be cheering on WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitry Bivol when the latter man takes on superstar Canelo Alvarez this Saturday evening at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Though Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs), a Russian, has spoken out against the war his country has chosen to wage against neighboring Ukraine, the Ukrainian Klitschko brothers are far from satisfied about Bivol is getting a world wide platform to perform against Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) in the middle of a bloody conflict that his country started.

According to former unified world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, currently fighting on the front lines with his brother [the current mayor of Kyiv] Vitali, it’s nothing personal against Bivol, but a matter of principle.

In an interview with the BBC, Wladimir recently opined that “[Bivol should] absolutely not [be facing Canelo]. Every sanction, and it’s nothing against the personality or athletes, it’s about the politics of Russia.”

“Every Russian representative in this case needs to be sanctioned, because this way we show to Russia that the world is against this senseless war and that there’s no good in this war,” Klitschko said.

Bivol, of course, sees the issue differently, and claims the realms of sports and politics should be kept separate.

“All his career I support [Wladimir], I liked how he was fighting and of course I was glad when he won,” said a somber Bivol.

“He is [a] sportsman, he should know sports and politics is different. He was [an] athlete. Now he is politician. It is sad that wants to shake it up and mix sport and politics,” a downcast Bivol told Britain’s IFL TV.

While the Klitschkos won’t be making a Vegas trip to see Bivol defend his title against Alvarez, one face to look for at ringside is that of current “retired” WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Last weekend, Matchroom promotions honcho Eddie Hearn put on a successful women’s boxing headliner featuring popular Irish fighter Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Irish compatriots such as former pugilist Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin, and according to rumor, Tyson Fury himself were slated to fly to Manhattan to cheer on their woman, but Mackin and “other boxing figures” were refused entry into the USA due to their connections with former MGM/MTK honcho and reputed Irish mob kingpin, Daniel Kinahan (“MTK” is an acronym for Mack The Knife).

Fury, rumor has it, was tipped off not to get on the plane to Manhattan. The WBC champion, who recently made light work of hapless challenger Dillian Whyte, was very friendly with Kinahan until the FBI offered a $5 million reward for the mob boss, at which point an agitated Fury was adamant that he knew nothing of Kinahan’s business and split ties with him.

If Fury, who recently bought a home in the Las Vegas area, and who is due to meet with the WBC next week to discuss his retirement plans–which he claims are 100% irreversible–fails to show at the Canelo vs Bivol tilt, the rumor mill over Fury’s own legal status regarding Kinahan and the now-defunct MTK Global promotional outfit will surely go into overdrive.

Posted on 04/25/2022

By John “Gutterdandy” Walker

Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte, who was defeated in what appeared to be a one-sided bout against WBC champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury last Saturday in the UK, is now crying foul, blaming Fury for using dirty tactics and also slamming the referee for allowing Fury to push him to the mat and to rabbit punch him throughout the contest.

“I was trying to get my senses [after Fury connected with an uppercut] and he fully two-handed pushed me and I fell over and hit my head,” Whyte explains. “It was a terrible job from the referee. I should have had time to recover and have time to go back to my corner.”

Whyte contends that the contest with Fury was a very even, back and forth affair, with him giving as good as he was getting throughout the fight. Yet most boxing fans and analysts seemed to see it as a one-sided contest that Fury ended with a sixth round uppercut that the WBC champion’s team later admitted was inspired by now-retired Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin’s knockout of the year, detonating Whyte’s chin back in 2020.

Whyte mocked and derided former WBC champion Deontay Wilder when he made a series of ever more outlandish claims against Fury after being manhandled and stopped in the second of three matches with The Gypsy King. But now, Whyte himself is choosing to go the same route as Wilder did, making a series of complaints and demanding a rematch, though also realizing that he will need to beat another top heavyweight before that happens, if the WBC champion doesn’t decide to stick to his plans to retire.

Whyte may be trying to stay relevant in the heavyweight division by calling Fury a dirty fighter, and there is some historical truth to that claim. Earlier in his career, for instance, Fury employed a barrage of rabbit punches to the head of Canadian heavyweight champion Neven Pajkic after Pajkic had knocked him flat, and did the same to American Steve Cunningham, a former cruiserweight champion who also put Fury on the canvas in the Brit’s fighting debut at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

But whether Fury employed dirty tactics sufficent to beat Whyte is another question entirely. Truth be told, since his victory over top contender Joseph Parker of New Zealand in 2018, Dillian Whyte’s career has been headed on a downward trajectory.  Since that fight, Whyte has been embroiled in controversies and often looked less than impressive in the ring:

Whyte vs Oscar Rivas (2019): Whyte gets knocked down and edges Rivas with a UD under a cloud of suspicion: dianabol steroids are found in his blood and an accusation was made of Whyte using illegal gloves that were substituted for the agreed upon mitts just before the fight. Rivas’ trainer Russ Anber is furious and files a complaint with British Boxing Board of Control

Whyte vs Mariusz Wach (2019): Whyte goes life and death with the giant Polish journeyman Wach, taking a beating that actually leaves him looking like the loser of the match. The unanimous decision scores for Whyte seem not to accurately reflect what actually happened in the ring. At times an out of shape Whyte was literally hanging on.

Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin 1 (2020): Whyte is utterly destroyed by the KO of the year from the aging Povetkin. The Body Snatcher is knocked out cold on his feet by a masterfully delivered uppercut from the Russian veteran.

Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin 2 (2021):  Povetkin is brought in fresh out of a Russian hospital and still suffering from long covid symptoms. He is stopped by Whyte in a rematch that shouldn’t have taken place at that time.

Whyte vs Otto Wallin (2021, cancelled):  Whyte pulls out of the fight with 10 days left to go, in an incredibly shoddy move.  He and promoter Eddie Hearn fail to provide any evidence of an “injured shoulder,” and Hearn is downright sneering and dismissive about it.  Wallin, who gave Tyson Fury fits in their 2019 fight, is understandably livid. Whyte then disappears to await a title shot against Tyson Fury.

Whyte vs Tyson Fury (2022): Whyte seems off balance and struggles to make an impact. Fury takes him out with an uppercut that he later admits was modelled on the same punch Povetkin took “The Body Snatcher” out with.  Helluva punch, but still not as powerful as Povetkin’s masterpiece, which was one of the greatest one-punch KO shots in boxing history.

The question thus arises: was Dillian Whyte prevented from achieving heavyweight glory by “dirty tactics” used by Tyson Fury, enabled by an inattentive referee?

Or had Dillian Whyte been going downhill for the last few years, and was sold to the public via hype from fighters like David Haye, Dereck Chisora, and to some extent Tyson Fury himself, all who went out of their way to elevate the reputation of a man they knew had little to no chance of dethroning the heavyweight champion?

No doubt Whyte will now try to convince the boxing public it’s the former answer, but a close look at Whyte’s recent record suggests it’s the latter.

Posted on 04/24/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Dillian Whyte grew acrimonious over his long-overdue title shot. The British star successfully reshaped his image and career following his 2015 stoppage defeat at the hands of Anthony Joshua.

With 12 victories in his next 13 bouts, Whyte was given his first crack at the heavyweight throne. However, despite putting his body through a grueling 12-week training camp, Whyte’s title dreams were immediately pushed by the wayside this past weekend.

Known as arguably one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, Tyson Fury pummeled Whyte in front of a sold-out crowd of 94,000 in Wembley Stadium. Although Whyte pocketed nearly $8 million for his troubles, he’ll desperately and quickly plot his comeback trail. It wasn’t the night he envisioned but Whyte still has plenty of options for his ring return, we’ll discuss his best options.

Joseph Parker

Dillian Whyte has stockpiled his resume with several notable wins but as it stands, his 2018 victory against Joseph Parker is his most impressive. Whyte was in pristine form, dropping the former world champion in both the second and ninth rounds before ultimately hitting the deck himself in the 12th.

Parker has been a man on a mission since then, racking up six consecutive victories. While he appears to be on the edge of a world title shot, Parker has expressed an interest in facing Whyte once more, something Whyte hasn’t exactly entertained. Now, however, would be a great time for Whyte to revisit that conversation.

Murat Gassiev

Remember Murat Gassiev? Maybe you don’t.

At one point, Gassiev was considered the best cruiserweight in the world. That notion, nonetheless, was disproven as he was easily outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk during their cruiserweight unification bout in 2018.

Shortly after, Gassiev would forgo his time as a cruiserweight champion and try his hand at heavyweight. But, unfortunately for Gassiev, injuries have plagued his career. With only two bouts under his belt since his 2018 defeat at the hands of Usyk, Gassiev should be looking for the biggest fights possible. And while he hasn’t done much in his newfound division, Gassiev should be a fighter Whyte has an eye on.

Andy Ruiz Jr.

A matchup against Andy Ruiz Jr. is one that Dillian Whyte has been craving. But, regardless of his attempts to lure the former unified champion into the ring, Whyte’s efforts were meaningless.

If Whyte still has dreams of wrapping his waist with gold, a victory over Ruiz Jr. would appear to be his best path. If he chooses to re-engage with team Ruiz on a possible showdown, he’ll have to first wait and see how he performs against Luis Ortiz. The two are scheduled to face off this Summer. Win or lose, Ruiz Jr. should be Whyte’s primary target.

Posted on 04/23/2022

By: Hans Themistode

With only a few hours away before fighting for his first world title, the magnitude of the event has seemingly hit Dillian Whyte.

“I’m about to become world champion,” said Whyte during an interview with Lucky Block.

Whyte, 34, has done his best to work his way back up the heavyweight ranks following his fifth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Anthony Joshua in 2015. In an effort to prove that he is, in fact, worthy of challenging for a world title, Whyte reeled off 11 consecutive victories. Amongst his more notable triumphs, Whyte defeated former heavyweight champions Joseph Parker and Lucas Browne.

While a jaw-dropping loss against Alexander Povetkin knocked Whyte off his world title path momentarily, an equally as impressive knockout win in their immediate rematch has placed him on the verge of championship glory. In order to reach the crescendo of the pugilistic sport, Whyte will attempt to sully the record of current WBC heavyweight kingpin, Tyson Fury.

As a crowd of nearly 100,000 is expected to fill Wembley Stadium later on tonight, the normally stoic demeanor of Whyte begins to change. For most fighters, becoming a world champion is an immediate goal the moment they first enter a gym and put on their first pair of boxing gloves. In Whyte’s case, however, fighting on the grandest of stages with all of the marbles on the line, never crossed his mind.

“I didn’t put on the gloves to be world champion. I put the gloves on to come off the streets, not get killed, and not kill someone, try to change my life. I literally put the gloves on to stay out of trouble but it took my life over because I was too tired from training. I was learning a new skill and picking something up. It just took my life over.”

Despite turning his life around and focusing his efforts on honing his skills, Whyte received a late start in the boxing world. In his first official bout as an amateur, Whyte was already 20 years of age. He would also go on to have only six amateur contests.

Regardless of his relatively short time in the unpaid ranks, Whyte has worked diligently to improve himself. In doing so, he’s carefully surveyed the boxing landscape. Ultimately, while Fury and Whyte will do battle in just a few short hours, the highly ranked contender has a great amount of reverence for what Fury brings to the table.

At the age of 33, Fury often finds his name near the very top of the heavyweight food chain. In his most recent trips to the ring, the British star violently closed the chapter on his rivalry against Deontay Wilder.

Primarily known as a boxer for most of his career, Fury opted against his typical box-first approach. Instead, the 6’9” titlist barreled forward, roughing Wilder up on the inside before stopping him on back-to-back occasions. Although he emerged victoriously, Fury’s less tactical game plan allowed Wilder to have his moments of success, dropping the British product on two occasions.

Admittedly, considering the malleable nature of Fury, Whyte is unsure how the heavyweight belt holder will choose to approach their upcoming bout. However, on several occasions, Fury has stated that he plans on bringing the fight directly to Whyte from the opening bell. Should Fury prove to be a man of his word, a sly smile spreads across the face of Whyte. If Fury is willing to stand in the middle of the ring and bang with the rough and rugged contender, Whyte is quick to point out that he isn’t Wilder and is more than willing to play Fury’s game.

“When he presses forward, he’s more vulnerable. Sometimes, being a taller fighter and being aggressive is one of the worst things you can do. I’m physically stronger than Tyson Fury. I’m not Wilder. Wilder ain’t got physical strength. He’s got speed and athleticism and he’s awkward. But physical strength, I got physical strength in abundance and I got more heart as well.”

Posted on 04/22/2022

By John “Gutterdandy” Walker

While fans can argue about who may emerge victorious this Saturday when WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and challenger Dillian Whyte meet at Wembley Stadium in the UK, one thing the lead-up to this fight has made clear is that the mainstream boxing media itself is already a big loser before a single punch has been thrown. The media has too often shown itself to be asleep at the switch and remarkably incurious in the face of some very strange goings on.

The curious events surrounding this fight actually started back in October of 2021, when Whyte was supposed to face off against Sweden’s Otto Wallin, a rising heavyweight who gave Tyson Fury fits during their meeting in September of 2019. Early in that fight, Wallin ripped Fury’s face open with a punch, the gash so severe that it could have (and maybe should have) ended the fight, which would have seen The Gypsy King take his first loss.

Fury fought bravely, but by the final round, Wallin was dominating, literally knocking his opponent around the ring. The final scores submitted by the judges gave Fury a comfortable win that didn’t accurately reflect what had just taken place in the ring.

As the fight date with Wallin approached, the highly ranked Dillian Whyte was losing ground among bettors: Wallin’s strong performance against Fury, along with the fact that Whyte had suffered a devastating knockout at the hands of 40-year-old Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin in August of 2020 (he “avenged” that loss against a Covid-19 weakened Povetkin in the rematch in March 2021) were the main reasons given for this loss of confidence in “The Body Snatcher.”

The more the fight was discussed, the more it seemed to fans and analysts alike that the talented Swedish counter-puncher had an excellent shot at beating Whyte and setting up a rematch with the now WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

It was then that strange events began to occur.

It should be noted that Dillian Whyte was already no stranger to controversy. When he fought Montreal-based Columbian heavyweight Oscar Rivas in July of 2019 in the UK, Whyte emerged victorious with a unanimous decision (even though he had been knocked down in the ninth round), but it later emerged that steroids had been detected in Whyte’s blood before the fight, and that the Rivas camp was not made aware of this by either promoter Eddie Hearn or the British Boxing Board of Control.

Whyte was much later “cleared” by UK Anti Doping (UKAD), though they didn’t deny the fighter had steroids in his system, There were also complaints about Whyte’s very late switching of his gloves for fight, and a complaint was filed by infuriated Rivas trainer Russ Anber. One boxing publication said the Rivas-Whyte fight was buried beneath a “mountain of controversy.”

So perhaps it should have been no surprise when Dillian Whyte pulled out of his scheduled fight with Otto Wallin a mere ten days before the fight. The reason given was that Whyte suffered a “shoulder injury,” with no medical evidence offered up by the fighter or his promoter, Eddie Hearn. Wallin was understandably furious, but Hearn was dismissive, and the normally vociferous Whyte was mostly silent, a state of being that he would continue right into the lead-up to this Saturday’s title fight with Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium in the UK.

Whyte inexplicably refused to take part in the promotion for this fight until he appeared at a Zoom press conference on April 14 (Whyte also no-showed the public workout during fight week). One might have thought the first question for Whyte from the carefully selected journalists in attendance would have been, “How is your shoulder holding up?” Shoulder injuries in boxing are often very serious, as both former WBO and WBC champion Vitali Klitschko and current contender Robert Helenius, who both suffered major career setbacks due to bad shoulders, can verify.

Dillian Whyte’s shoulder, if nothing else, was certainly set in the “cold” position during the lead-up to his upcoming bout with Fury, as he continually blew off media appearances and remained a ghostly figure.

If Dillian Whyte’s shoulder injury was bad enough to cause him to ditch the fight with Wallin with only ten days to go, it should have been logical to ask Whyte if he had experienced any problems with it in training camp. But not one of the selected journalists, many with years of experience and awards, even thought to mention it. Most seemed concerned with the usual “buddying up” to fighters with jovial greetings of “How’s it going champ?” and general inquiries that elicited superficial responses. It seemed as if no one really believed Whyte’s injury was legitimate in the first place, so why ask about it now?

After all, that might rock the boat.

This kind of obliviousness, intentional or otherwise, by the boxing media leading up to Fury vs Whyte has not just been limited to questions asked [or not asked] of Whyte. Tyson Fury’s involvement with reputed Irish drug cartel boss Daniel Kinahan, now a wanted man on the run from law enforcement with a $5 million dollar bounty on his head, was also given a pass in this initial virtual press conference. The reporters selected to ask Fury questions studiously avoided any mention of the Irish mob boss, a former close confidante of The Gypsy King.

When MTK Global boxing promotions, a Kinahan vehicle, finally collapsed and shut down entirely the following week, yet the boxing press still did its level best to ignore the situation. When Fury was finally asked a question about his former advisor Kinahan, he looked and sounded annoyed, and said that it was “none of his business,” but what he really seemed to be saying, judging by his tone, was, “it’s none of your business.”

This from a man who once wore the MTK logo on his clothing and who is making millions of dollars from his upcoming fight–which Fury now insists will be his last, in marked contrast to what he was saying before the Kinahan story hit the news.

A jittery and shaken Fury even claimed that the only time he’d broken the law was when he received a speeding ticket, yet spoke during the final press conference of the cocaine-fuelled binge that caused him to cancel two scheduled rematches with Ukrainian world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, who Fury dethroned in 2015 during a period of tumult in Klitschko’s personal life.

At press time, snorting cocaine is still against the law in the United Kingdom. But no one in the press caught this contradiction either. Follow-up questions are not the specialty of the current mainstream boxing press.

In The Guardian newspaper, Donald McRae wrote witheringly that the initial Zoom press conference for Fury vs Whyte “was engineered so that the only reporters invited to put any questions to Fury were those intent on swapping ingratiating greetings with him or asking him about his golf swing, his faith or how it will feel to fight on St George’s Day. Kinahan’s name was not mentioned once in over 50 minutes of banality, deception and stupidity. It was a shameful day for the charade of boxing journalism.”

In fact, this entire promotion has shown that the mainstream boxing media has often become nothing more than “access journalism,” a term often favored by scrappy American cultural commentator Jimmy Dore. When a journalist is too afraid to ask a question because what he or she really wants to do is to be buddies with fighters and/or promoters, and to protect his or her access to those same people, then that person is no longer a journalist, but a PR flack. And that is what too many boxing writers have become in 2022: practitioners of access journalism; public relations hacks masquerading as actual journalists.

Asking a question that might rock the boat, that might upset the camps of Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte, is thus often deemed not worth the price that might have to be paid by the questioner.

The fate of Otto Wallin, who due to Dillian Whyte’s mysterious “shoulder injury” was left holding the bag for a long training camp and its attendant monetary and physical expenses, and denied a possible rematch with Tyson Fury, is of little concern to “access boxing journalists.” There are free tickets to fights, free food at press events, and back-slapping superficial interviews to protect. Oppositional journalism is just not in style, and in fact now marks one as a pariah in the small world of boxing writers.

So Otto Wallin will sit and watch to see what happens on Saturday, and wonder at what might have been.

And to see if Dillian Whyte’s tricky shoulder holds up.

Posted on 04/22/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Over the past few years, Tyson Fury has tipped the scales north of 270 pounds. With the WBC heavyweight titlist weighing in at 273 and 277 pounds respectively in back-to-back triumphs over Deontay Wilder, the British star vowed to follow that same procedure. However, despite promising to come in at his heaviest for his upcoming title defense against Dillian Whyte, Fury was considerably trimmer.

Whyte stepped onto the scales first. He wore black gloves and donned a black shirt, as he looked stoically into the crowd. Moments later, it was revealed that the WBC mandatory challenger weighed in at 253 pounds, his heaviest since 2019. As Whyte moved aside for Fury to make his way onto the podium, the loquacious heavyweight titlist removed his shirt and egged the crowd on as he flexed and posed for pictures.

Noticeably slimmer, Fury’s weight officially checked in at 264 pounds, also his lightest since 2019. The customary stare-down moments after was a bizarre one. Fury towered over his much shorter opponent, opened his eyes up wide, stood on his tippy toes, and attempted to intimidate his man.

Whyte though, simply smiled as he jokingly cowered in fear. Following years of what he believes was unfair judgment, the 34-year-old contender is anxious for his first world title opportunity.

After putting his brutal loss at the hands of Anthony Joshua behind him, Whyte has been on a roll, winning 12 of his 13 bouts. In his lone defeat, a sudden fifth-round knockout against Alexander Povetkin, Whyte dusted himself and righted the ship, stopping the former interim heavyweight titlist in the fourth round of their immediate rematch.

Although Fury has earned universal praise as the best heavyweight in the world, the longtime champion believes he’s reached the end of his journey. In his mind, once he goes on to savagely stop Whyte at Wembley Stadium in what’s expected to be a crowd of nearly 100,000, he’ll hang up his gloves for good. However, despite his retirement talk, his father, John Fury, has stated on numerous occasions that he simply isn’t buying it.

Posted on 04/20/2022

by John “Gutterdandy” Walker

MTK Global boxing promotions has shut down for good, due to its ties to alleged mob boss Daniel Kinahan. Kinahan, who is currently on the run from law enforcement, is an ex-advisor and former close confidante of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs), who makes his second title defense in London this coming Saturday night against fellow Brit Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) at Wembley Arena in the UK.

The lead-up to the Fury-Whyte bout has been haunted by the troubles of the reputed cartel boss Kinahan, whose organization has been accused of selling large quantities of South American cocaine across the globe. Until very recently, Tyson Fury had nothing but praise for Kinahan, and had posted a picture online of the two men engaged in a chummy pose in Dubai last February.

A statement issued by MTK Global reads:

“It is a matter of public record that Mr Kinahan’s involvement in MTK ceased in 2017, and despite repeated reassurances in this regard, unfounded allegations about his ongoing association with us and our fighters persist.

“Since leading promoters have now informed us that they will be severing all ties with MTK and will no longer work with our fighters, we have taken the difficult decision to cease operations at the end of this month.

“MTK prospered because we always put the long term interests of our fighters at the heart of what we do.

“Our priority in the weeks ahead will be to ensure that our world class boxers are supported to find new partnerships as swiftly as possible.

“MTK gyms are operated independently so will remain open for the foreseeable future.

“Further announcements will be made in due course. Thank you to all the fans who have supported us over the last decade.”

Tyson Fury has seemed irritated this week when the topic of Kinahan has been raised, though it must be said that most of the professional boxing media has preferred to avoid the subject, instead sticking to rote questions about training camps instead. Fury has chosen to stick to a stock response about “minding his own business” to try and deflect from his former close ties to Kinahan.

“Because I had my picture taken with a man it doesn’t make me a criminal,” Fury said.

The WBC champion added, ” “I’ve got nothing to hide. The only time I’ve ever broken the law was when I got a speeding ticket.”

That last statement would seem to be at odds with Fury’s admissions of rampant cocaine abuse, back when he claimed to have mental health issues while twice avoiding rematches with former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine. Fury ended Wlad’s decade-long title reign with a scrappy decision win late in 2015.

This week, with the allegations against Kinahan forming a constant looming backdrop to the upcoming fight, Fury has doubled down on his vow to retire from boxing after the Whyte bout, win, lose or draw.

Until very recently, however, Fury had spoken of enjoying his life as a “fighting man” and had submitted a list of five fights he wanted in the future, a list that notably did not include the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine but did include men he has beaten multiple times, such as Deontay Wilder and Dereck “WAR” Chisora.

During a press conference via Zoom last week, however, Fury seemed to be backing away from retirement, only to double down on his vow to quit boxing forever in the last two days.

Contrary to what he said in March, when he talked about wanting to live the fast life of a Miami jet setter, Fury now claims he has no interest in money, and that he seeks a very quiet life of taking out the garbage and doing other familial activities and chores, far away from the glare of the media spotlight.

“I just want to be left alone, I don’t want to be tortured by people,” Fury explained to UK boxing personality Adam Smith in a recent interview.

“I’m here to do this one last fight, and that’s me, I’m out.”

“Goodbye forever.”

Posted on 04/14/2022

by John “Gutterdandy” Walker

The strange atmosphere surrounding the upcoming title fight between undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and challenger Dillian Whyte, both of the UK, got even stranger when the two fighters appeared, though not together, at a press conference Thurdsay afternoon (April 14).

Fury has previously announced that this second defense of his WBC Heavyweight Title will be his final fight, that he is mentally finished with boxing, and after fighting Whyte will be ready to lead a life of decadent luxury as a very rich man.

Yet during the lead-up to his previous fight, Fury’s first defense of his WBC strap against American puncher and former champ Deontay Wilder, Fury was keen to tell the world that he is a “fighting man” who only truly feels at home in the ring. He indicated then that he would be fighting well into the future. That there was nothing else that he truly cared about outside of boxing and his family.

However, after defeating Wilder in a thrilling third meeting between the two men, Fury had a change of heart. After the list of five fights he desired in the future (a fourth fight with Wilder, and a third fight with gatekeeper Dereck Chisora among them) was met with derision–with current unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk’s name conspicuously being left out–Fury’s attitude suddenly shifted. After facing mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte (who was knocked out cold on his feet by 40-year-old Alexander Povetkin of Russia a mere two fights back), Fury claimed he was out, done and dusted. Retiring.

So he said, anyway, though it’s probably true that few people in the boxing game took him very seriously.

Today’s press conference was a surprisingly dull affair, with the normally excitable and voluble Whyte, who has been silent and invisible during the fight’s lead-up, and the always talkative Fury making separate appearances via Zoom. Both boxers tended to stick to rote answers about having great training camps and being excited for their upcoming fight in the UK on April 23. With Fury and Whyte not sharing any air time, neither man could really get too worked up, and the questions asked by selected boxing journalists often left much to be desired.

For instance, the journalists picked to ask questions were careful to avoid the explosive topic of reputed Irish mob boss Daniel Kinahan, to whom Tyson Fury has been linked in recent reports in the mainstream press. Only one of the selected journalists brought up the topic of Fury’s impending retirement from boxing, and the question seemed to throw the WBC champ for a bit of a loop. Fury hemmed and hawed and ducked, quickly changing the topic to how well prepared he is for Whyte, and not mentioning retirement again.

“I’m only thinking about Dillian Whyte at this moment, I’m not thinking about retirement,” said Fury, blatantly contradicting earlier statements that this fight is it. “After the fight we’ll think about what is gonna happen and what the future holds for me.”

Another very interesting change of tune from Fury, who as recently as March 1 of this year proclaimed, “I’m retiring after this fight…I have no ambition after this fight, I’m done. No interest in anybody, retirement, baby! $100 million in the bank, undefeated champion.”

Fury said after Whyte, his life would resemble a movie star’s, no longer a fighting man, but a jet setter enjoying ““Miami, boats, Ferraris, Lambos.”

Today, however, he suddenly sounded unsure. Perhaps the winner of the upcoming rematch between Usyk and Anthony Joshua, who Fury had planned a mega-fight against before Usyk upset A.J., will help determine the fighter’s future. The WBC champ has so far shown very little interest in taking on the undefeated Ukrainian cruiser and heavyweight boxing master, who recently fought for his country against Russian invaders, and is now in Poland training for his contracted meeting with Joshua.

In a move that might impress Tom Brady, is Tyson Fury already un-retiring before he even officially retires?

Stay tuned.

Posted on 03/11/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Tyson Fury is talking a big game as his heavyweight showdown against Dillian Whyte draws near. Fury will officially put his WBC world title on the line against Whyte on April 23rd, at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom, in what’s expected to be a jam-packed crowd of over 100,000.

As of late, Fury has shown extreme confidence in his ability to put his opponents out of their misery well before the sound of the final bell. Although Fury has earned a few concussive knockouts recently, promoter Eddie Hearn refuses to look at him as some sort of big-time knockout artist.

“I don’t think that Tyson Fury is a big heavyweight puncher,” said Hearn to IFL TV. “If you list the top five, six guys in the division, he’s not up there in terms of his power. You look at his resume, whether it’s [Christian] Hammer, whether it’s [Dereck] Chisora, whether it’s [Wladimir] Klitschko, whether it’s [Otto] Wallin, he’s never been an explosive puncher.”

Despite Hearn casting a dubious look on Fury’s power, the undefeated heavyweight titlist not only became the first man to defeat Deontay Wilder, but the British native did so without the need of the judge’s scorecards. During the final bout of their three-part sequel, in particular, Fury battered Wilder around the ring. As a result, Wilder hit the deck in rounds three, ten, and 11 before succumbing to Fury’s power in the penultimate round.

Without being given much choice, Hearn acknowledges that it was a job well done by Fury. However, he doesn’t believe it was a singular blow that ended Wilder’s night.

“He stopped Deontay Wilder more with pressure and work rate. But I don’t think he’s a one-punch knockout specialist. I feel like Dillian Whyte is.”

In Whyte, while he’s shown an ability to stop opponents right in their tracks, he’s recorded only two knockout victories in his past six ring appearances. Nevertheless, most recently, Whyte placed his power on display against former heavyweight contender, Alexander Povetkin.

Whyte bounced back from a shocking defeat at the hands of Povetkin in August of 2020, to score his own knockout win against the former Russian star in March of 2021. More than just his ability to crack, Whyte has an innate willingness to bite down on his mouthpiece and fight when needed.

It’s those very characteristics, along with his power, in Hearn’s view, that will allow Whyte to carry on when the going gets tough against Fury.

“I see that fight going late. I don’t see Tyson Fury winning that fight early by stoppage. If it goes late, I favor Dillian Whyte. He’s going to dog him all night, he’s going to trade left hooks and I think he has a great one in my opinion.”

Posted on 02/22/2022

By: Hans Themistode

There are several in the boxing world who find the newly signed showdown between Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury an intriguing one. Following weeks of negotiations, the pair will finally square off on April 23rd, in Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom.

Although Whyte has aggregated wins against some of the heavyweight division’s best, including former champions, Joseph Parker, Lucas Browne, and former interim titlist Alexander Povetkin, Fury is viewed as a gargantuan favorite.

While most are expecting Fury to crush Whyte’s world title dreams, Dereck Chisora is going against the grain and choosing Whyte to pull off the unlikely upset.

“Dillian Whyte,” said Chisora to Behind The Gloves when asked who he expects to win. “He’s going to have to work hard to win. He wants it, he’s hungry.”

Fury, now 33, completed a brutal three-fight series with hard-hitting former titlist, Deontay Wilder. Fury peeled himself up off the deck during their October showdown in 2021, to ultimately stop Wilder in the 11th round.

The win for Fury may have been arguably the most impressive of his career, but Chisora believes it came at a devastating cost. Immediately following the first defense of his WBC crown, Fury was presented with life-changing money. With the British native reportedly making upwards of $30 million for their heavyweight clash and roughly $32 million to face Whyte, Chisora believes that the added income will be his undoing.

Having been involved in the pugilistic sport for a decade and a half, Chisora can only recall one fighter who pocketed a boatload of money and remained the same.

“When fighters make $20 to $40 million, they’re not hungry anymore,” continued Chisora. “There’s only one fighter that’s ever been hungry when he made $100 million and that was Floyd Mayweather. When fighters make all of this money, they’re not hungry anymore. They just do it for the sake of doing it. But when someone is hungry, like Dillian right now, he’s going to die in that ring.”

Chisora knows good and well how far Whyte is willing to push himself in order to secure a victory. In 2016 and 2018, Chisora engaged in a back and forth war with Whyte, falling short on both occasions. Chisora’s ring experience with Whyte has left him with a newfound respect for his rival, something he believes Fury lacks for his latest title challenger.

In totality, Chisora believes that Fury is normally locked in on the person standing in front of him. However, when asked if Fury is looking past Whyte, Chisora gave a succinct answer.

“He is.”

Posted on 10/24/2021

by John “Gutterdandy” Walker

Leave it to the sport of boxing to find a way to waste any momentum it has accumulated with the sporting public.

In the wake of two excellent heavyweight title clashes recently — Oleksander Usyk’s dominant unanimous decision win over Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury’s obliteration of Deontay Wilder — boxing fans were eagerly looking forward to the next scheduled high-level installment from the glamor division between top ranked Dillian Whyte of the UK and Otto Wallin of Sweden.

Three great fights in a row, it seems, was too much to ask.

Wallin (22-1-0, 14 KOs) is the heavyweight who arguably gave Fury his toughest overall fight to date (Wilder actually only troubled the Gypsy King for a few select rounds over three fights).

During their clash, the 6’6″ tall Swede used his slick counterpunching abilities to confound Fury at times, inflicting two large gashes on the Brit’s face, one above his left eye courtesy of a wicked left hook. That cut was severe enough that the fight could have been waved off, but Fury gutted his way through to a UD win that nevertheless saw Wallin rocking him hard with big shots as the fight came to a close.

Though he lost to Fury, Otto Wallin had arrived at the top end of the heavyweight division.

Since that fight, Wallin has gone from strength to strength, and looked primed to provide Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), who has been awaiting a title shot for what seems like forever, with some very stiff competition for their bout scheduled for October 30 in the UK.

But now, the fight has been cancelled amidst questionable circumstances, and Wallin has been left heartbroken and angry.

Wallin was getting ready to depart for the UK when he was informed via email that Whyte had injured his shoulder and the fight was cancelled. No supporting documentation was provided to the Wallin camp by Whyte’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. Further queries have gone unanswered.

The sketchy details surrounding the cancellation have set Wallin and his camp on edge: a shot at WBC world heavyweight champ Tyson Fury awaits the winner of Wallin vs Whyte.

At a recent presser called to make their case, Wallin and his manager Dmitry Salita fumed about the situation. “I’ve been training very hard, and had my mind put into this,” lamented a downcast Wallin.

“Just the simple fact that I haven’t seen my family [in Sweden] in two years … I’ve been staying here [in the USA], training, to make sure I’ll be ready when this big opportunity comes. I was gonna go fight, win this fight, and then go back to Sweden to see everybody. It’s tough when you haven’t seen your mom in two years (Wallin’s father passed away before he fought Tyson Fury in 2019).”

Not helping matters is the fact that Whyte had publicly mused recently about skipping the tough Wallin challenge altogether and waiting for Fury to offer him a lucrative title bout in their native United Kingdom.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking at [future fights],” Whyte said. “I am definitely looking at fighting Fury and Wallin is a dangerous operator – he pushed Fury all the way.”

Those remarks seem more ominous now, in light of the last-minute cancellation of the fight. The suspicion is that Whyte simply decided to pull the plug and wait for Fury to come calling for a lucrative, all-UK showdown. Wallin is left with a lot of hard preparation that at the moment seems like it was for nothing.

“This is such a big opportunity,” said an agitated Dmitry Salida, Wallin’s manager. “[Wallin] put so much on the line. It’s so important that the right thing happens here.”

“Injuries happen in boxing,” Salida continued. “But there’s just so many circumstances in this particular situation that makes it so unsettling … all we want is the truth. That’s all we want.”

The right thing, according to Wallin and Salida, is a rescheduling of the bout. Faced with a lack of communication from Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, the Wallin camp are appealing to the British Boxing Board of Control and the WBC to seek a remedy to the now fraught situation.

One thing the Wallin camp isn’t interested in, however, is an offer from Croatian heavyweight Alen “The Savage” Babic, who Whyte promotes, to take his boss’s place. Matchroom head honcho Hearn has since pushed for Wallin to take on “The Savage” instead of Whyte, but Salida scoffed at the suggestion.

“Otto Wallin is a world class fighter,” Salida said. “[Babic] is irrelevant. It’s just branding for whoever that person is. I’ve never heard of this guy before (Babic was scheduled to appear on the undercard of Wallin vs Whyte).”

The Wallin camp remain fearful that Whyte will be allowed to bypass the Swede altogether and proceed straight to a title fight with Tyson Fury. Salida feels Whyte has been spooked by many boxing scribes and promoters predicting a Wallin win against the Brit.

“I am a man of my word,” said Wallin. “We have a contract signed and we are supposed to fight. And I will honor that. I am very serious when it comes to contracts and giving my word on something.”

“The redo should happen” Salida added, “but we want to see proof [of Whyte’s injury]. That’s all we want. We want to see the truth, all we want is fairness.”

“And if the right thing doesn’t happen, it will be so detrimental to our sport.”

Posted on 10/20/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Dillian Whyte’s highly anticipated heavyweight showdown against Otto Wallin has officially been pushed to the wayside.

With only a few short days left until the pair faced off on Halloween eve at the O2 Arena in Greenwich London, Whyte has reportedly suffered a shoulder injury as training camp winded down. While it’s unclear the severity of Whyte’s injury, it was enough discomfort to force the British contender to remove himself from the event altogether.

News of Whyte’s forced withdrawal is particularly disheartening for Wallin, as he’s endured several postponements throughout the course of his brief career.

In the eyes of oddsmakers, Wallin vs. Whyte was essentially considered a coin flip. However, both WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and promoter Bob Arum were steadfast in their belief that Wallin would walk into the hometown of Whyte and strip him of his WBC interim title. That in turn, would give Wallin exactly what he was looking for as he’s longed for a sequel against Fury.

The two originally squared off on September 14th, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fury, of course, was viewed as a gargantuan favorite. Still, Wallin never appeared unnerved about facing whom many consider to be the best heavyweight in the world.

After opening up an enormous gash over the right eye of Fury, one that required 47 stitches, Wallin fought Fury on mostly even terms until fading down the stretch. Fury’s incredibly close battle with Wallin may have resulted in a victory, but Wallin’s skills were accentuated nonetheless.

Since then, Wallin has gone on to pick up two impressive victories. Most recently, the Swedish born contender easily dismantled former heavyweight title challenger, Dominic Breazeale. As for Whyte, after scoring a number of victories in a row, his road to a heavyweight title hit a significant speed bump as he was brutally stopped in the fifth round in August of 2020 against Alexander Povetkin. Whyte would eventually reel Povetkin back into the ring seven months later, registering the fourth knockout win and reclaiming his lofty status in the WBC rankings.

At the moment, it’s unclear if Whyte vs. Wallin will be rescheduled, or if Whyte will opt to pursue a showdown against Fury instead.

Posted on 10/13/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Like many who were watching, Eddie Hearn was glued to his television set.

This past weekend, both Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder staged one of the most epic heavyweight battles in recent memory. The two clashed at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and were bombs away from the opening bell. With each man scoring numerous knockdowns, Hearn was on the edge of his seat.

By the time the dust cleared, it was Fury who was the last man standing, scoring an 11th round stoppage win. Despite Wilder picking up his second straight knockout defeat at the hands of Fury, Hearn couldn’t help but tip his cap to the hard-hitting former titlist.

“I think his credibility has gone through the roof,” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “Although he looked like his tank was empty after two rounds, he stuck in there. He could not even stand up and he kept going. I give him credit, fair play.”

Wilder, 35, may have seen his bid to become a two-time heavyweight champion come to an end, but the Alabama native is far from done. According to head trainer Malik Scott, Wilder is already planning a return to the ring, but not before a long rest.

As for what could be next for the Olympic Bronze medalist, there’s a long list of highly-ranked contenders that Hearn believes could make for intriguing showdowns. Amongst them, are the likes of Dillian Whyte, newly crowned heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, and long-time rival Anthony Joshua.

Matchups against any of those previously mentioned names, however, would see Wilder as a prohibited underdog. At least, in the opinion of Hearn. While he respects Wilder and the ridiculous knockout power he brings to the table, Hearn is steadfast in his belief that unless Wilder lands his money punch, he’ll not only lose to Whyte, Usyk, and Joshua but he’ll do so quite easily.

“Whyte would do exactly the same to Wilder that Fury did, in terms of being too big and too strong but could also get KO’d. AJ, too sharp, too good a technician but could also get KO’d. Usyk would school Wilder, but could also get KO’d.”

Posted on 09/15/2021

By: Hans Themistode

It was a merry-go-round of names that were presented at the doorstep of heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte. However, after Eddie Hearn failed to finalize deals against both Jermaine Franklin and Chris Arreola, the long-time promoter has decided to go in another, and possibly, more dangerous direction.

As first reported by Boxingscene.com, Whyte is now set to return to the ring against heavyweight contender, Otto Wallin. The pair have agreed to terms on an October 30th, date at the O2 Arena in London.

Wallin, 30, has desperately attempted to attract some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division to step foot inside the ring against him. While the Swedish native is coming off back-to-back wins against Travis Kauffman and Dominic Breazeale, he’s mostly known for his all-out brawl against WBC/Ring Magazine titlist, Tyson Fury.

The two tangoed in September of 2019, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heading in, Wallin was pegged as the huge underdog and was mostly expected to suffer defeat in devastating fashion.

Nevertheless, Wallin proved his worth, giving Fury all he could handle and bloodying the undefeated titleholder early on. Despite coming out on the losing end, Wallin was mostly praised for giving Fury one of the most difficult fights of his career.

As for Whyte, he’s gone on a tear since picking up the first defeat of his career to Anthony Joshua in 2015. In total, Whyte reeled off 11 straight victories, including two against former heavyweight belt holders, Joseph Parker and Lucas Browne. Whyte did, however, experience a significant setback, suffering a shocking fifth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Alexander Povetkin in August of 2020.

Whyte would ultimately prove that Povetkin’s victory was nothing more than fortuitous, stopping the former Olympic gold medalist in the fourth round of their immediate rematch and ushering him straight into retirement.

Posted on 09/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Tyson Fury has grown tired of sitting sequestered on the sidelines.

The WBC/Ring Magazine heavyweight titlist is currently on the verge of ending a year and a half of inactivity as he’s set to take on Deontay Wilder on October 9th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fury originally dethroned Wilder in February of 2020 via seventh-round stoppage.

Although Wilder figures to pose a significant threat, Fury is seemingly unafraid of what he brings to the table. In fact, Fury is so confident in his ability to take care of business against Wilder, that he’s already planning a second ring appearance for later on this year. Considering that Fury hasn’t boxed in front of his hometown British fans since 2018, the loquacious heavyweight belt holder wants to put an end to that. As for whom he would like to face off against, Fury believes Dillian Whyte would be both the ideal opponent and an easy night at the office.

“We’re gonna deliver a UK fight,” said Fury during an interview with BT Sport Boxing. “It’s been a long time since I boxed here. Who better than this guy who keeps calling for it? I’ll shut that bum right up, that’ll be an easy one. That’s definitely gonna happen, I’m gonna splatter him.”

While Whyte has craved a matchup against Fury, the highly ranked heavyweight contender could be working short on time. With Fury hoping to make a second ring appearance in December, Whyte’s upcoming October 30th return date could become an issue. The current WBC interim champion is rumored to be on the verge of inking a deal to take on former heavyweight title challenger, Chris Arreola.

Eddie Hearn, Whyte’s long-time promoter, has readily admitted that several names such as Jermaine Franklin, are possibilities. But, Hearn has also revealed that Arreola is in the driver’s seat. Provided that both Whyte and Fury escape their upcoming showdowns relatively unscathed, Fury would love the opportunity to face Whyte next.

Setting their respective opponents aside, Fury doesn’t see how a showdown between himself and his fellow countrymen doesn’t materialize. With that said, if Whyte is seeking team Fury to fill his bank account with an unprecedented amount of money, then he views their contest as one that will fall by the wayside.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t start asking for stupid money. If he asks for stupid money, he don’t want the fight.”