Tyson Fury v Dillian Whyte preview: Who will come out on top in British heavyweight classic?

A homecoming does not get bigger than this, as Tyson Fury returns to defend his WBC and The Ring heavyweight belts in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium against Dillian Whyte.

This will be the first ever lineal heavyweight championship fight between two British boxers on UK soil, befittingly on St. George’s Day.

Will Fury be the homecoming king?

There are a few things in sport that capture the imagination of the British public like a Tyson Fury fight, and this time the ‘Gypsy King’ returns home to defend his WBC belt against fellow Brit Dillian Whyte.

This is quite possibly the biggest British heavyweight fight in history, with only Lennox Lewis v Frank Bruno coming close to a fight of this magnitude.

Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 22 KOs) is known as a skilled boxing technician, who could outbox any heavyweight on the planet, and has even dominated the legendary Wladimir Klitschko in his own backyard.

Over the course of Fury’s career, we have seen him win in a variety of ways, showing how he could well be the most versatile heavyweight of all-time; always making good use of his strongest assets: footwork and fight IQ.

He was as impressive as ever against champion Deontay Wilder but learnt how effective he can be when using his size to his advantage and being the aggressor, leading to a switch of style and trainer in the form of SugarHill Steward and the ‘Kronk Style’.

Fury’s previous five bouts have all taken place in the United States, including three of his thrilling trilogy fights against Wilder, which have easily turned him into one of the biggest draws in combat sports.

The history of boxing shows that few walk away when they are at their peak, but Fury insists that is what he will do after this weekend, and if so, his fans are undoubtedly in for a show.

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Whyte to drown out the noise?

Dillian Whyte (28-2-0, 19 KOs) began his fighting career as a professional kickboxer in 2008 and was a two-time British heavyweight kickboxing champion before going down the route of boxing.

Whyte has endured an arduous and sometimes perilous wait for his shot. He will have been the WBC’s number-one ranked contender for 1,634 days by the time the opening bell sounds on April 23rd.

The Londoner’s plans for a shot at the biggest prize were derailed when Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin dealt him a stunning knockout loss in August 2020, however, Whyte avenged that defeat emphatically in his most recent outing last March.

If ‘The Body Snatcher” defeats Fury on Saturday, he will become the new lineal champion in a fight which will also be the first time that The Ring heavyweight championship is contested in the UK since Muhammad Ali fought Brian London in 1966.

This will be one for the ages.

Huge upset on the cards?

Fury is the 1/6 favourite for Saturday night’s bout. He is the more technically skilled boxer with an unorthodox style, which should make the most of his height and reach advantage. Fury will be best served by maintaining range and controlling the fight from the outside.

However, he is likely going to attempt to follow up his knockout victory over Wilder with a similar victory over Whyte, and Fury’s confidence in his ability to stand toe-to-toe with Whyte may be his own undoing.

Whyte, a live underdog at 4/1, will be hoping that the pair do trade in the middle of the ring, as he’s likely to struggle should Fury decide to box and keep his distance.

Staying within range and working Fury to the body will surely be a significant part of Whyte’s gameplan. We’ve enhanced odds from 8/1 to 12/1 for the South London native to win in rounds 1-6, while you can also find 5/1 for Whyte to win by KO or TKO.

However, Fury has proved impossible to stop so far in his career and even if Whyte gets his opponent in trouble, it’s difficult to see him being able to do enough to finish the job.

A stoppage victory at 8/11 for the WBC champion in the later rounds could also be on the cards, in what should be a thrilling fight.

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