Dillian Whyte said today that his recent defeat against heavyweight contender Moses Itauma isn’t where his career “ends.” Although the 37-year-old Whyte (31-4, 21 KOs) didn’t say what his specific plans are, the comment suggests that he’s going to continue fighting.
The 14-year professional, Whyte, never got his offense untracked during his first-round technical knockout loss to Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) on August 16, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dillian was met with whithering fire immediately from the 20-year-old Itauma, and retreated to the ropes, where he was hit with a series of hard shots and dropped by a right hook.
The punch stats told the whole story:
- Moses Itauma: 19 of 34 shots for 55.9%
- Dillian Whyte: 2 of 12 for 16.7%.
“This is not where my story ends,” said Whyte to Ring Magazine.
The Financial Angle
According to The Sporting News, Whyte’s fortune is estimated at $13.2 million. He made between $2.5 million and $4 million for his August 16th fight against Itauma. If this is the end for Whyte, he’s done well financially in his career, making a small fortune despite never having captured a world title.
“Well, I hope that’s not going to be the case for him, and if he carries on, we certainly would be looking to help him in that way,” said Queensberry promoter Frank Warren to Pro Boxing Fans, when asked if Dillian Whyte’s first-round knockout loss to Moses Itauma is the end of his career.
Warren didn’t say who he would be interested in matching Whyte against if he chooses to continue his career. There are still fights that Dillian can make excellent money if he continues. These would be some of them:
- Derek Chisora
- Joe Joyce
- David Adeleye
- Zhilei Zhang
- Dave Allen
“He’s been involved in some great fights in the UK over the years. He’s had some great domestic dust-ups,” said Warren about Whyte. “He’s been a great servant to British boxing. I know he’s had his problems over the years, a couple of problems. In the ring, he’s delivered big time, and nobody has ever done that to him,” said Warren.
Whyte has been involved in big fights against Anthony Joshua, Alexander Povetkin x 2, Derek Chisora x 2, Tyson Fury, and Joseph Parker.
Hearn Calls for Retirement
“Yeah, 100 percent,” said Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn to Boxing247.com when asked if Whyte should retire now after his loss to Itauma.
“He’s done well in his career. He’s been in with everyone, he’s achieved a lot,” said WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker to Secondsout about whether Itauma should hang up his gloves.
