Dillian Whyte believes Tyson Fury will vacate the WBC world heavyweight title rather than fighting him for it.
‘The Body Snatcher’ has been mandatory contender for the belt for more than 1000 days now – and he is slated to face the winner of Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 for it should he overcome Alexander Povetkin on Saturday night (live on Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view, price £19.95).
But the 32-year-old from Brixton doesn’t believe he will get the chance to win the title in the ring – instead thinks Fury will vacate to try and secure a mega showdown with fellow British world champion Anthony Joshua.
He told Sky Sports: “I’ve got a feeling Fury will beat Wilder then vacate then try and fight Joshua without the belt. I’ve got a feeling that’s what he will do.
“I can’t see Wilder beating him. Fury out-boxed him out-punched him, roughed him up. What’s Wilder going to do? He’s not suddenly going to become a great jabber or a mid-range fighter. He got out-boxed, bullied and beat up so I can’t see him winning the third fight unless Fury gets completely complacent and gets tagged, which can happen in heavyweight boxing.”
Saturday’s showdown with Povetkin (35-2-1) at Matchroom Fight Camp is a dangerous one for Whyte. Lose, and that long wait for a world-title shot was all for nothing and he is back to square one. And Dillian – under the tutelage of new trainer Xavier Miller for the first time – is taking his opponent very seriously.
“He is a very experienced guy, top of the tree for 15 years, a former Olympic gold medallist and world champion. For me? I’m straight maximum violence. I respect him and that’s why I trained so hard. I take him seriously.
“He is very dangerous and he knows that, if he beats me, his whole life and career is rejuvenated. I’m coming to cause chaos and violence in the ring.”
As well as being a pay-per-view fight in the UK, Whyte vs Povetkin will also be streamed by DAZN in nine markets – United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Austria and Switzerland.
