By Barry Holbrook: Eddie Hearn says Dillian Whyte will KO Tyson Fury when they meet in two months on April 23rd at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Dillian has the power and the stamina to knockout Fury, especially if Whyte comes into the match in the form he was in for his rematch last year against Alexander Povetkin. That version of Whyte will be a BIG problem for Fury.
Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) is finally getting his long-awaited chance to fight for a world heavyweight title against WBC champ Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs), and Hearn believes he’s up for the job.
The boxing fans are anxious about whether Dillian will make it through training camp without suffering some disorder that results in him pulling out of the fight.
Whyte, 34, pulled out of his October fight against Otto Wallin, complaining about a shoulder ailment that he’d had for a long time.
With shoulder problems, they have a way of sticking around. In football, players’ careers are shortened due to knee injuries. In boxing, shoulder and hand injuries shorten their careers.
“I think he can knock him out. I think styles make fights, and I think it’s going to be a very tough fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing in predicting a win for Dillian Whyte over Tyson Fury on April 23rd.
“Tyson Fury is an outstanding heavyweight, it’s going to be very tricky, but when you switch up, and trade left hooks with Dillian Whyte, you go to sleep. If Tyson Fury switches off for one second in that fight, he runs that risk,” said Hearn.
Whyte has a better chance of beating Fury at this point in his career than he did earlier when he was more mobile and almost impossible to hit.
With Fury being transformed into a brawler by his American coach Sugarhill Steward, that style is perfect for Whyte. That’s a style that played to Whyte’s strengths 100%, and if Sugarhill isn’t astute enough to see that, Fury will likely lose.
This fight could be far more challenging for Fury than his three matches against Deontay Wilder because Dillian is heavier, has stamina conditioning, and he’s not someone that will fold easily from the Kronk-gym style of mauling that Tyson uses now.
“I believe Dillian is tough, and we know what happened with sparring with those guys. Dillian believes he has his number,” said Hearn. “Let’s find out.
“I don’t know if there was gamesmanship initially, but my God is it working,” said Hearn about Dillian’s silence on social media and in interviews over the last month.
“I’ve never seen people run around like headless chickens that don’t know what’s going on, and Dillian is in complete control.
“Dillian Whyte will be working hard in Portugal, not interested in going here or going there, getting COVID somewhere, or taking a silly trip somewhere.
“He’ll be working hard to become WBC world champion, and my guess is he’ll keep them guessing. It’s a big fight. Fury doesn’t sell like Anthony Joshua, but still, it’s a great heavyweight fight.
“I’m not going to be welcome on the promotional table for that fight, but I’ll be there to support Dillian Whyte in any way, shape, or form.
“I spoke to his team this morning, going through bits and pieces. I said, ‘I’m here for you guys.’ I want to see him win the world heavyweight title, and I believe he can do it,” said Hearn on him supporting Dillian.
Fans also wonder whether Dillian wants the fight with Fury, as he wasn’t happy about the 80/20 split he was given, preferring near parity at 55/45.
Even if the World Boxing Council had given Whyte his wish with the 55/45 split, it’s unlikely Fury would have agreed to it.