Can Dillian Whyte Become the Undisputed Champion of the World?
No longer will we hear Tyson Fury talking about Dillian Whyte being a coward. The time for that talk is over, with the pair set to head into the ring soon to contest the title of WBC heavyweight champion of the world.
Fury is the current holder of the belt, and he’s looking to get past Whyte as part of his plan to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. But he’s not the only one looking to do so, with Anthony Joshua also aiming at the same target.
In the midst of all this comes Whyte. While the majority of the talk continues to surround Fury and Joshua, there is a real chance that the third Brit in the pack could upset the plans of his countrymen. Such is Whyte’s promise, there are odds from Coral on him claiming all four belts, and it’s for a good reason. The 33-year-old is the current WBC interim heavyweight titleholder and is ranked amongst the top-10 heavyweights by ESPN. He also boasts a strong record of 28 wins and just two losses.
However, there’s a long way to go before Whyte could get his hands on the belts –– because there’s not only Fury to beat. Oleksandr Usyk currently holds the other three. The Ukrainian defeated Joshua last year, and those two are set to have a rematch, with the winner likely to take on the winner of the Whyte v Fury bout.
Could Whyte do it, though? His defeat to Joshua back in 2015 is still recalled by some as an indication of his not quite being at the level of the top fighters, and his defeat to Alexander Povetkin by knockout in 2020 further supported that theory. However, Whyte has come a very long way since the Joshua loss almost seven years ago. This was particularly evident in how he avenged his loss to Povetkin in devastating style last year, with CBS Sports commenting that Whyte had “exorcised some demons.”
At this point, Whyte is a much better fighter than people give him credit for; he’s got the heart of a lion and just keeps going even when he looks like there’s nothing left in the tank. While Whyte is also an aggressive fighter whose punching power certainly isn’t up for scrutiny though, the question marks remain around his mobility –– and his footwork isn’t the greatest. His limited movement often sees him left open to some heavy shots.
The slippery Fury and technically brilliant Usyk may well be able to exploit Whyte’s lack of agility, and arguably would too if he can dispatch Usyk first. Even so, experts may argue that Whyte would stand the best chance against his former adversary out of the three.
Whyte deserves to be named in the same breath as the current crop. His technical abilities aren’t quite up to the level of the three fighters standing in his way, but he’s got more than a puncher’s chance of causing an upset (or two).