Whyte stays calm and plays down rival’s warmongering

Dillian Whyte has dismissed Joseph Parker’s claims that he intends to “go to war” when they fight tomorrow in London.

The rival heavyweights are fighting to secure a rematch with Anthony Joshua or a shot at Deontay Wilder, and former WBO champion Parker insists that to do that he will change his style.

When being outpointed by Joshua in March and defeating Hughie Fury last September, Parker used his speed and mobility to fight largely on the back foot, becoming the first to take Joshua the distance by negating his power.

The 30-year-old Whyte possesses perhaps the division’s strongest chin, and is often at his finest when fighting rivals toeto-toe.

In Whyte’s own defeat by Joshua he fought a completely different fight to Parker, in which he risked Joshua’s biggest punches and was the first to hurt the champion — to the extent that a similar fight tomorrow would give him his greatest chance.

Parker’s speed and abilities mean he had been expected to prepare to out-box his opponent, but in what could prove a gamble with his career, the 26-year-old said: “There’s no ‘hopefully’. I’m here to do damage. To punch with bad intentions.

“He will take a lot of punches. He has talked smack and that is a sign of doubt.

“He’s trying to convince himself he’s ready. I hope he’s ready to take punches because I will give them.

“I have a challenger’s mentality. Bring it on.

“He thinks I can’t go to war. Wait and see.

“Less movement, more punches.”

Whyte said: “I’ve been in the game long enough to know talk and action are two different things.

“Let’s see what he brings.

“If he comes to fight like he says, he gets knocked out.”