Dillian Whyte will face the next big thing in the heavyweight division in Moses Itauma, but was once close to facing another feared boxer.
Dillian Whyte had taken his first loss at the hands of Anthony Joshua in 2015 when the pair duked it out for the British title.
Following the loss, ‘The Bodysnatcher’ picked up some impressive wins over Dave Allen, Robert Helenius, and Derek Chisora.
After the Helenius victory, Whyte took on an undefeated Australian, in a fight that would end with a stunning knockout win for Brixton’s howling warrior.
Photo By Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile via Getty ImagesDillian Whyte called out Deontay Wilder after KOing Lucas Browne
In 2018, Whyte, who stood up for Daniel Dubois recently, put his 22-1 record on the line against Lucas Browne, who became the WBA Regular champion after defeating Ruslan Chagaev a few fights earlier.
The fight started badly for Browne, and then went from bad to worse. The Aussie sustained a cut in the first round, which only worsened.
The sixth round is where it all happened. Whyte, who scolded Derek Chisora lately, landed a fateful left hook that would feature in highlight reels for years to come, as it sent Browne crashing down to the canvas unconscious.
Browne was given oxygen and left the ring on a stretcher after what was one of Whyte’s most dominant victories ever.
Following the big win, Whyte called out ‘The Bronze Bomber’ himself, “Deontay Wilder – where you at? Let’s go! Let’s do this! June at the O2! Let’s go! I’m going to lay out all of these guys one by one. If Wilder fights anyone else before me, I’m going to go to America and kick off. I just love to fight. I walked away when I landed that left hook tonight. I knew it was over straight away.”
Wilder had just come off his first win over Luis Ortiz, and was just months away from his infamous draw with Tyson Fury.
The fight never materialized, and Wilder instead face ‘The Gypsy King’, whilst Whyte went on to fight, and beat, Joseph Parker.
Whyte will now face Moses Itauma on August 16th.
Dillian Whyte vs Moses Itauma & co-main event – The stats
With Whyte vs Itauma fast approaching, many have written off the former world title contender, either due to age or his recent form.
Whyte has not looked great recently, facing lackluster opposition and undergoing lengthy periods of inactivity, only worsened by a positive PED test and multiple fight withdrawals.
Itauma, though, has never been tested by anyone of the caliber of Whyte, and will either sink or swim against the veteran boxer.
In the co-main event, David Adeleye will vie for a seat at the big table with a win over Filip Hrgovic, who is coming off a win over Joe Joyce.
Dillian WhyteMoses ItaumaRecord31-312-0Height & Reach6’4″ & 74″6’4.5″ & 79″Weight in last fight261.25lbs254lbsKO %62%83%Best winJoseph ParkerDemsey McKeanDavid Adeleye Filip HrgovicRecord14-118-1Height & Reach6’4.5″ & 76.5″6’6″ & 82″Weight in last fight239.75lbs250.5lbsKO %87%74%Best winSolomon DacresZhilei Zhang