[ad_1]
A homecoming fit for a king, Tyson Fury returns to the UK to defend his WBC belt against Dillian Whyte as the heavyweight giants do battle on the biggest stage of them all – Wembley Stadium.
No, it’s not against Anthony Joshua, or even Oleksandr Usyk – who dethroned the unified champion last year – but in Whyte, Fury has a live opponent who carries one hell of a punch.
After wiping out Deontay Wilder to conclusively end their bitter rivalry last year, Fury understandably comes into the bout as the overwhelming favourite, with many a boxing buff believing the writing is already on the wall.
Some believe his newly-formed come-forward style developed under the tutelage of trainer SugarHill Steward could just be his downfall, however, with Whyte’s lethal left-hook primed and ready for any potential slip-ups.
The general consensus is that Fury could win either by stoppage or by a shutout points victory, while Whyte will need a knockout if he’s to be crowned the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world.
Here, Sportsmail brings you all the big fight predictions from the sport’s stellar names ahead of Saturday night’s enticing showdown.
Tyson Fury (left) and Dillian Whyte go head-to-head at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night
The heavyweight giants will do battle in front of a 94,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium
Anthony Joshua
‘It’s a good [quality] defence against Dillian Whyte,’ he told iFL TV.
‘Dillian Whyte needs to come in look at what Tyson Fury does and reacts to the complete opposite. Maybe work the body and be conditioned to go the distance, but I hope Dillian trains hard and doesn’t underestimate Tyson.
‘Because it’s his first time fighting for a title, I think he’ll be hungry. This ain’t his 10th time fighting for a title and he can have a little hiccup along the way – this is his first time fighting for a title.
‘I’m rooting for Dillian, even though I hate him and I wanna smash him one of these days. Go on Dillian, I’m with you all the way.’
VERDICT: ROOTING FOR WHYTE
Anthony Joshua is rooting for Whyte, despite wanting to ‘smash him one of these days’
Frank Warren
‘Fights like this, anything can happen. Guys get themselves up for it, it’s a great opportunity for Dillian Whyte, he’s been waiting over 1,000, 1,200 days for this opportunity and now he’s got it,’ Warren told iFL TV.
‘He’s in with the best heavyweight of his generation, by far.
‘How do I see the fight going? I only look at the skillsets of the fighters.
‘Tyson is a fighter that can box, he can stand and trade, he can punch, he can take a shot, he’s got good recovery powers, he’s got fast hands, he’s got great footwork, he switch-hits.
‘I don’t think that anyone can live with Tyson at the moment.
‘I think Tyson is a very special heavyweight. I think he’ll get to him and I think he’ll stop him.’
VERDICT: FURY BY KO
Frank Warren (centre) believes Fury will catch up with Whyte and stop him within the distance
Eddie Hearn
‘Dillian Whyte can win this fight by knockout,’ Hearn told talkSPORT. ‘I think he will lose most rounds, to be honest with you, because I think Tyson is very difficult to win rounds against.
‘But if Tyson gets sloppy, if Tyson gets hurt…if Dillian can disrupt the rhythm like Anthony [Joshua] did not do against [Oleksandr] Usyk, cut him off in the ring, and when he touches those ropes, unload everything.
‘It does not matter – belly, shoulders, neck, side of the head – anywhere you can hit him, because Tyson is very, very difficult to hit.
Promoter Eddie Hearn insists Whyte will ‘give it everything’ and can win the fight by knockout
‘Both men have been inactive but the inactivity for Dillian is slightly worrying and he has got to get into the fight early. You do not want to be six rounds in and be four or five rounds down in a fight like that because Tyson will coast from there.
‘Dillian is very fit, very strong and this is his chance. He is not the type of guy to go in there and let him pass it by so I expect him to give everything on Saturday.’
VERDICT: WHYTE BY KO
John Fury
‘I expect to see the best Dillian Whyte because I know we’re getting the best Tyson Fury. We’ve not overlooked him, I know a lot of people think we have but we haven’t.
‘We’ve taken this probably more serious than every other bout he’s had. It’s been a great camp, a happy camp. There’s been no mistakes anywhere, I’m more than happy but there’s levels to this game and Tyson will prove that on April 23.
John Fury clashed with Whyte at Wednesday’s presser and insists they have taken the challenge seriously
‘Tyson is looking brilliant in the gym. His worked hard on his physical condition, he’s trained with brains – for a smart fight. To beat Tyson you’ve got to be ironside in the ring and I don’t think Dillian is ironside, no disrespect.
‘You’ve got to have so many boxes ticked to come close to beating him. He’s got a will to win like you’ve never seen before. How do you beat that? You can’t.’
VERDICT: FURY WIN
Derek Chisora
‘I’m willing to put my house on it: I’m willing to put my house on Dillian Whyte knocking Tyson Fury out’, Chisora claimed in a live interview with talkSPORT.
‘Look at your faces in the studio! Tyson is my mate and I know he’s listening – Tyson, you’re going to get knocked out. That’s the only way he [Whyte] can win the fight.’
He added: ‘He has to [fight dirty]. He’s going to have to sit on Fury’s chest and just keep going.
‘If you don’t, you’re in no-man’s-land. The guy has a longer reach, his head is somewhere up there.’
VERDICT: WHYTE BY KO
Derek Chisora (above) believes Whyte can secure a shock victory with a knockout blow
Joseph Parker
‘I see it being a very competitive fight in the beginning,’ Parker told Sportmail. ‘Dillian’s a tough fighter, he comes game, strong and ready.
‘I see him putting up a good fight, but Tyson’s size, reach and pace will be too much for him, and I think Fury’s going to knock him out midway through the fight.’
He added: ‘Dillian Whyte produces a lot of weapons. He’s got the left hook, the counter left hook.
Joseph Parker insists Fury’s size, reach and pace will be too much for Whyte on fight night
‘In his last fight against [Alexander] Povetkin, he landed some good, good right hands.
‘He possesses power in both hands and it’s just about landing the right punch at the right time.’
VERDICT: FURY BY KO
David Haye
‘Tyson has everything it takes to be the best heavyweight in the world,’ Haye told Sportsmail.
‘But as a betting man I’m putting my money on Dillian, because the odds are out of proportion with his reasonable chance of pulling off this shock.’
‘A lot of people are really underestimating Dillian,’ he continued. ‘He is at his best against the biggest opponents and he is more motivated for this one than any other fight in his life.
David Haye would not be surprised to see Whyte prevail if the Gypsy King comes out gung ho
‘There’s been controversy about him not turning up for media conferences but the reason is not that he didn’t want Tyson the best player of brain games getting into his head.
‘He preferred to focus entirely on his training camp in Portugal rather than spend three or four days interrupting his work by travelling to London and back.
‘That’s how seriously he’s taken this. And probably his best way of getting under Tyson’s skin has been to deprive him of the banter he enjoys.’
VERDICT: WHYTE WIN
Tommy Fury
‘I feel like this fight will probably be over in rounds four to six,’ he told BT Sport. ‘I don’t really see it going past that at all.
‘But again, Tyson, you don’t know which one you’re going to get on the night.
‘He might want to enjoy the crowd a bit longer, he might want a long fight, play up to the crowd a bit, soak it all in. You don’t know what you’re going to get.
‘This fight will end whenever he wants to end it. And that’s basically what it is.’
VERDICT: FURY KO
Tommy Fury is backing his brother Tyson took get the job done within the first six rounds
Conor Benn
‘Dillian Whyte definitely has a chance,’ he said, as per talkSPORT. ‘You got to remember the hard fights [Fury] has had with Wilder, but then Whyte has been inactive. So it’s a hard one.
‘It’s the heavyweights. A punch can change the game, but Fury has shown he has the punching power as well.
‘Listen, when you get hit with 17 or 18 stone on your chin, you definitely know about it. It’s a tough fight for both men.
Welterweight Conor Benn is sitting on the fence but surprisingly says Whyte can win on points
‘I’d like to think Whyte can win but I wouldn’t be putting my money anywhere.
‘I’m on the fence, I wouldn’t put a bet on this one. I could see it going to points and I think Whyte could win on points, I do. He’s robust, he’s rugged, he comes in and and takes the fight to Fury.
‘But, Fury is a fighting man so it just makes for a great fight.’
VERDICT: ON THE FENCE
Ricky Hatton
‘We have to be honest and say Tyson is better in every department,’ Hatton told the Gary Newbon Sports Show. ‘He has the height and reach, the speed, the ability. Everything says that Tyson should win.
‘But what concerns me is that Tyson in his last few fights, although it has been entertaining, has turned into a six foot 10 Rocky Marciano – he is having it out with everyone.
‘Deontay has put him down and Dillian has the power to do the same. I think Tyson has to resort back to the old Tyson a little bit – let’s just break down Dillian, let’s not go to war or toe-to-toe from the opening bell.
Ricky Hatton – who is set for a return to the ring – believes the result is entirely in Fury’s hands
‘If he uses his height, reach and movement, and chooses his time when to box at a distance and make him miss, choose a time when to put it on Dillian, it will break him down in the early rounds and he may get a stoppage.
‘If he goes like he did in the last fight against Wilder – where he just went to absolute war – then Dillian has a good chance of clocking him.
‘It all depends on – no disrespect to Dillian – what Tyson does rather than what Dillian does.’
VERDICT: LEANING TOWARDS FURY
Otto Wallin
‘For this fight, I like Fury [because] he’s such a smart guy so I have a hard time going against him,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘I think he’s going to win from a decision.
‘[Whyte] really needs to make it’s a tough fight. You can’t win a boxing match against Fury, that’s for sure.
‘He’s got to cut off that ring, make it really small and try to work that body, close in on him. Fury will have to try and lean on him and try to tire him out.
‘For Whyte, he’ll have to just let his shots go and use that left hook to go for the eye – that’s how I hurt Fury.’
VERDICT: FURY ON POINTS
Otto Wallin (left) has urged Whyte to target the Gypsy King’s eye in Saturday’s bout
Wallin left Fury with an injured eye when he caught him with a punch over two years ago
[ad_2]
Source link
Have something to say? Leave a comment: