Revealed: How Whyte matches up to previous successful title challengers

Dillian Whyte has been the mandatory title challenger for over a year, but our research has revealed that he lacks the victories and stoppages to be considered a ‘successful title challenger’.

Whyte continues his quest for a WBC title fight when he meets Russian brawler Alexander Povetkin at Matchroom Fight Camp on 22nd August, and a victory could set up a title showdown with the winner of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

But after crunching the numbers behind each successful title challenger in heavyweight boxing over the past 20 years, our statistics show that the average contender has racked up 29 wins and 24 stoppages before going on to claim a heavyweight belt. Whyte has only managed 27 wins and 18 stoppages in his career so far.

Whyte, however, will take comfort in the fact that other title challengers who fell below the average wins or stoppages that went on to claim a heavyweight championship include legendary British boxers Lennox Lewis (22 wins and 20 stoppages before becoming champion) and David Haye (22 wins and 21 stoppages), and Ukrainian fighter Vitali Klitschko (24 wins and 24 stoppages).

Wladimir Klitschko (34 wins and 34 stoppages), Nikolai Valuev (42 wins and 32 stoppages) and Deontay Wilder (32 wins and 32 stoppages) are among the list of boxers who were above the average statistics of a successful title challenger.

Whyte has also fought more rounds than the average successful title challenger – 156 compared to 124 – and has tasted just one defeat, which is the same as the average contender.

Whyte matches the average height of 6’ 4” and his orthodox stance also matches that of the average successful title contender, though his reach of 78 inches falls just below the average reach of 79 inches.

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