Great moment for British heavyweights It’s Whyte time to be world champ
DILLIAN HAILS UK’S TITLE DOMINATION
DILLIAN WHYTE reckons the UK is now the heartbeat of heavyweight boxing.
Anthony Joshua holds four of the five world-title belts, while Whyte is ranked the No.1, No.2, No.4 and No.5 contender with the WBC, WBO, IBF and IBO respectively.
Tony Bellew is ranked No.2 with the IBO and No.5 with the WBC.
Pressure
And with WBC champ Deontay Wilder potentially having to come to England from the US to fight Joshua in a unification bout, Whyte reckons it’s boom-time for the big-boy Brits.
He said: “We have most of the top heavyweights in the world, three of the top five live in the UK,
SUMMARY so we’re running heavyweight boxing at the minute.
“No doubt about it, the UK is the top place to be if you’re a heavyweight fighter.”
Whyte will put himself in with a shot of at least one of those crowns if he can beat former WBO champion Joseph Parker in London on July 28, in what promoter Eddie Hearn says is a title eliminator.
“I’m very excited about this fight,” added Whyte. “It’s a big fight, one I’ve been waiting for, and I’m ready to rock.
“Against Joshua, I saw that he’s very cautious and likes to play it safe, he doesn’t like to take risks. So, if I put him under enough pressure for him to take risks and fight out of his comfort zone, I’ll tag him.” Whyte and Parker have each suffered just one defeat... and both were at the hands of Joshua (left). And, of the two, Whyte was the one who gave AJ the most trouble. But he said: “I don’t think I’ll have an easier fight against Parker than Joshua did because Parker is going to want to prove that he is better than he looked that night. “Parker has warrior DNA, he comes from warrior-based people. He will be very positive and very confident about beating me.
“But he knows how strong I am, he knows I can fight and what I’m capable of, so let’s see what happens.”
Whyte has moved out of the capital to train for this fight and he is hoping the sacrifices will prove worthwhile, with him eventually becoming world champion.
World
“I’ve left London and I’m living in Loughborough, I’ve left my family and everything to be there five days a week,” added Whyte.
“That’s the biggest sacrifice you could ever make, not living with your family.
“I’ve sacrificed everything to better my training.
“Winning a world title really would mean the world to me.”