BOXING FURY v WHYTE
SHIFTING a record 94,000 tickets at Wembley has been easy for Dillian Whyte compared to having to sell 200 for his pro debut at the Medway Park Leisure Centre.
That was the deal 11 years ago and Whyte joked it was hard persuading his mates from south London to venture to Gillingham.
Those who did saw Whyte record a comfortable points win over Tayar Mehmed in a four-rounder to start a journey which has led to a world heavyweight title shot against Tyson Fury tomorrow.
“I can remember the guy’s name, what I was wearing, and I still speak to that guy on Facebook,” said Whyte.
“It was good, it was on a Frank Maloney show. It was crazy, I think I had to sell 200 tickets in Gillingham and at the time, it wasn’t easy to get south Londoners to go to Gillingham.
“Back then I could never have imagined anything like this. I didn’t get into boxing thinking I would be heavyweight champion.
“I got into boxing because it got me out of trouble and made me a bit of money. But as time’s gone on and you get better, you get a knack for it.”
Whyte, 34, certainly has a knack for it as evidenced by 28 wins from his 30 fights. He is one of the hardest hitters around, with a sledgehammer left hook.
The Body Snatcher from Brixton has been knocking out people since he flattened a school bully in Jamaica, where he was born, as a 10-year-old.
That’s when his boxing “sickness”, as he calls it, began.
“I always knew I could punch because I think the first time I knocked someone out I was 10 or 11 years old,” he said. “An older guy was bullying a younger Chinese guy because he was a different race.
“I didn’t do it deliberately, I just had enough of it. I closed my eyes and swung and when I opened my eyes, the guy was knocked out.
“Then as you learn, you get better and I got the sickness for boxing. My footwork and combinations got better, I started to understand more.
“The spars didn’t become easier, but I stopped going home with busted noses and stuff like that, so I thought I must be improving. It’s like a sickness, boxing is worse than drugs, man.”
Whyte, who beat Anthony Joshua (above) as an amateur, starred in his own version of Waiting for Godot because he was repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to land a world title shot.
He has finally got one, three-and-a-half years after first being named the WBC’s No.1 challenger, and he has remembered some advice from his mum for his big moment. He has been on his best behaviour and peace, rather than war, broke out at Wednesday’s final press conference with Fury. “There were a lot of times I didn’t listen to my mum and I regret it,” he said. “Now if she says something, I listen. Before the press conferences, she said, ‘Son, behave yourself, don’t do anything crazy’. I said ‘I’m cool, I’m relaxed, I’m chilled’. “My mum just says, ‘Remember where you’re from, stay true to yourself and believe in God’.”
■ BT Sport Box Office will show Fury v Whyte exclusively live tomorrow from 6pm. For more information go to bt.com/ sportboxoffice
I closed my eyes and swung – and the guy was knocked out