By Charles Brun: Dillian Whyte revealed today at the kick-off press for his rematch with Anthony Joshua on August 12th that his goal for the remainder of his career is to avenge his losses to AJ & Tyson Fury, capture a world title, and make money. Whyte claims he’s broke.
The 35-year-old Whyte has looked like a shell of his former self since being knocked out by 40-year-old Alexander Povetkin in the fifth round in 2020.
Some would argue that KO took the best part of what was left of Dillian, leaving a spent fighter that we’ve since, losing to Fury by knockout and being given a gift decision over Jermaine Franklin.
You can argue that Whyte is a textbook example of an over-the-hill fighter, as he looks utterly shot at this late stage of twelve-year professional career. That left hook that Povetkin knocked Whyte out with seemed to have removed the remaining bit of ability out of the old ‘Body Snatcher.’
Most would agree that Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) has little chance of beating Joshua and getting a rematch with WBC heavyweight champion Fury, who already knocked him out in the sixth round in April 2022 at Wembley Stadium.
Whyte is said to have a net worth estimated at $8 million, so it’s unclear why he’s claiming to be broke. Where did all the money that Whyte got for fighting Fury, Joshua, Alexander Povetkin, and Derek Chisora go to?
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says there are only 100 tickets remaining for the Joshua vs. Whyte 2 fight at the O2 after going on sale three hours ago for the August 12th rematch.
Whyte wants to avenge his defeats
Dillian Whyte: “I want three things from boxing: I want to avenge my defeats to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, become world champion, and make some money too. I ain’t got no money, I’m broke, I want that AJ money,” said ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte during today’s kick-off press conference for his rematch with the former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua next month on August 12th.
Could Joshua lose to Whyte? It’s possible. By beating him, Dillian can wreck Joshua’s massive-money fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia.
Hearn says that the offer they’ve made to Joshua to fight against Wilder in Saudi will be off the table if he loses to Whyte, which puts him in a high-pressure situation on August 12th.
Eddie Hearn: “This is what AJ needs, this is what Dillian needs. It’s just a huge British boxing event,” said Eddie Hearn about the show for the Joshua-Whyte rematch. “People talk about, ‘Is it the right fight?’ It’s massive.
“We have less than 100 tickets left. It went on sale three hours ago. It’s going to be a complete roadblock at the O2. It’s going to be a thrilling fight,” Hearn continued about Joshua & the Chisora-esque Whyte.
“If I’m Dillian Whyte, I’m trying to get into his head, I’m trying to stick it on him, and trying to send him back to Dallas doubting where he’s at mentally.
“What I like about this fight for AJ is this is the fight from the first discussions; he said, ‘I want,’ and when I went back and said, ‘I can’t get Dillian. What about [Agit] Kabayel, what about Wallin, what about Hrgovic?’ He went, ‘What about Dillian?’
“It was the one that he wanted, and I think we’re going to bring the fire out of him on August 12th.”
Whyte didn’t unnerve Joshua during the face-off today, so he didn’t score any mental points against him.
That doesn’t mean Whyte can’t still win because he can still punch, and he remains dangerous until the final bell, as we saw in his recent fight against Jermaine Franklin last November.
Can Joshua hold Dillian off? You got to imagine that Whyte will be swinging for the fences, knowing that if h can knockout Joshua, he could be the one that faces Deontay in Saudi.
Darren Barker: “I’m not going to beat around the bush. Are both careers on the line on August 12th?”
Joshua risking all
Hearn: “People talk about careers on the line. AJ wants to operate at the top level, he wants to try and win the world heavyweight championship for a third time, and if he loses to Dillian Whyte, that seem to be an eternity away.
“When we sat down with Saudi Arabia, talk about the Wilder fight, they said, ‘Look, please don’t let him [Joshua] fight on August the 12th.’ I said, ‘He wants to.’ ‘Can you give him an easy fight?’ I said, ‘He wants to fight Dillian Whyte.’ ‘Please don’t let him fight Dillian Whyte on August the 12th.’ ‘He’s fighting Dillian Whyte.’ No problem. Just to let you know. If you lose that fight, do you see this offer? It’s off the table.’
“That made my bum go a little bit, but for AJ, he goes, ‘I need to be beating people like Dillian Whyte to prepare myself for Deontay Wilder,’ and I like that attitude.
“When I went to Dallas last week, I saw a very happy AJ. I saw a guy that is really jelling with Derrick James. The stable is unbelievable in Dallas. Now you got Ryan Garcia, you got the Charlos, you got Errol Spence.
“It’s great for him. He’s watching Errol spar. He’s a student of the game. After everything he’s achieved, he’s still that hungry kid in the gym that is trying to learn, trying to improve, and everything that he does, it’s almost obsessive to improve.
“You’re not trying to get the percentages, you’re trying to get the .001 of the percentages. So that tells me this kid is hungry. It’s not like, ‘Let’s go make a few quid against Dillian Whyte and Deontay Wilder.’ It’s, ‘Let’s beat these guys.’
“I love the fact that he’s willing to take this risk before a fight against Deontay Wilder.”
Ade Oladipo: “How hungry is Dillian Whyte?”
Barker: “He’s going to have to be hungry. I don’t think being hungry for money is enough. He’s going to have to have that desire, and that will to become a heavyweight world champion.
“That’s got to be his goal because it will be tough in there against AJ, and I don’t feel that fighting for money is enough. He’s got to have that ambition.”
