Pundits, fans, fighters and trainers are having their say ahead of the big event at Wembley – and Fury is an overwhelming favourite to defeat underdog Whyte.
Fury is the ‘knockout king’
In his early prediction, Jeremy Herriges on Fansided said Whyte “can damage” Fury if he “lands the right punch”, but he will “never get the opportunity”. He added: “Fury should stop Whyte by round 7 TKO. He has one-punch power, but there’s a good chance that the referee will have to save Whyte from himself. Regardless, Wembley Stadium will be rocking.”
The Racing Post’s “best bet” is for Fury to win by stoppage. “Fury is a far better operator than those two boxers and it’s hard to see how the Bodysnatcher can win this fight.”
With Fury fighting someone other than Wilder for the first time in more than two and a half years, “it’s difficult to know what to expect”, said Matt Verri in the London Evening Standard. “Both fighters have shown they are capable of getting up off the canvas and have impressive chins, so there’s every chance that both will have to come through difficult periods in the bout. However, Fury has proved impossible to stop so far in his career and even if Whyte gets his opponent in trouble, it’s difficult to see him being able to do enough to finish the job. A stoppage victory for the WBC champion late in a thrilling fight looks to be on the cards.”
Heavyweight boxing legend Evander Holyfield is predicting a “great fight” at Wembley. “I think Dillian’s got the energy to give him problems, but I think Tyson Fury is clever,” he told The Sun. “He is just a clever fighter and I don’t think Whyte can beat him.”
Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker tips Fury to win within six rounds. “I feel [Fury] has too much for Whyte – size-wise, power-wise, strength,” he told Frank Warren TV. “He can move, he can fight, and so I think he’s gonna get Whyte out of there in the first six rounds.”
Fury’s trainer SugarHill Steward admits that Whyte has a puncher’s chance – but warns he will be up against the “knockout king”. Speaking to BoyleSports Boxing, Steward said: “We’re going for the knockout, get that knockout every time. First round, second, third, fourth, fifth, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 and 12. Every round, every moment we’ll be looking for the knockout, looking for that knockout punch, looking to make the guy make the mistake and when he makes the mistake we’re going to catch him.”
Isaac Lowe, Fury’s long-time friend and training partner, said even if the champion couldn’t walk he would still defeat Whyte, talkSPORT reported. “He’s looking absolutely terrible, he’s broken his two legs, he’s broken his two arms and he’s just getting by,” Lowe joked. “So, we’re going to put him on a stretcher and take him to the ring and he’ll still be good enough to beat Whyte.”
Can underdog Whyte cause a huge upset?
Former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye has “sensationally claimed” that Whyte will shock the world and end Fury’s reign as WBC heavyweight champ, The Sun reported. “If I had a pound, I’d put it on Dillian Whyte for the upset,” Haye told Boxing Social. “Yeah, I’m going with Dillian with the massive, massive upset. We had an upset with Anthony Joshua [against Oleksandr Usyk]. It happens, crazy stuff happens.”
Whyte’s trainer Xavier Miller believes his fighter will be “too much” for Fury. “I’ve been with Dillian for about two years now and I want him to be a more complete fighter, so that’s what I have been working on with him,” he told BoxingScene. “He’s an even more dangerous fighter so, to me, yes [Deontay] Wilder has a right hand and it is real and I respect it, but Dillian has a lot more tools in the box. It’s a different puzzle for Tyson, there’s going to be a lot for him to deal with.”
If Whyte is to cause a huge upset on 23 April, then there’s only one way he can beat Fury, according to former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton. “I think he has to go for the knockout,” Hatton told talkSPORT. “Let’s have it right, he’s not going to outbox Tyson Fury, he’s not going to outspeed Tyson Fury.”
