Dillian Whyte opens up on incredible journey from streets to heavyweight contender
Dillian Whyte has quite literally seen it all after revealing he was born in the middle of a hurricane.
The 37-year-old is a huge underdog heading into his clash with Moses Itauma this weekend. Whyte is eyeing up one last world title run as he enters the twilight stages of his glittering career. Whilst the thought of retirement is a daunting experience, the 'Body Snatcher' remains unfazed as he looks back at his early days as a youngster.
The Jamaican-British fighter recalls eating out of rubbish bins and selling Fanta bottles on the street as a young boy in Jamaica. Having been a fighter since the day he was born, Whyte told reporters in a media roundtable last month: "I've always been a fighter. I was born in the middle of a hurricane in 1988, a hurricane blew the roof of my mum's house while she was giving birth to me.
"I just know to persist. I'm extremely stubborn. All I've done in my life is fight and struggle, fight and struggle, fight and struggle, fight and struggle, fight and struggle. So it's what I know what to do. Everything else I've had to learn. I've had to learn to be a better human being. I've had to learn to be a person of faith, I've had to learn to be more loving, more caring. I've had to learn to do other things but fighting and being amongst animals is the two things that I know to do best."
Born in Port Antonio, Whyte admitted he struggled growing up and was briefly separated from his mother before he was a teenager. In a desperate attempt to get by, the 37-year-old revealed exactly what he went through growing up.'Sometimes I had no guardians or no one to take care of me," he said. "So I was out in the street surviving, stealing and robbing food and stuff to get by, eating from trash cans, doing stuff like that. You know, working as a kid, I remember selling Fanta bottles, the glass bottles to make money, selling fruits, farming, doing stuff. So, I've been suffering.
'All I've done in my life is fight and struggle, fight and struggle, fight and struggle, fight and struggle, fight and struggle. So it's what I know how to do. I've had to learn to be a better human being.' He added: 'But fighting … and being amongst animals, are the two things that I know to do best.'
After revealing he thought he would never be a boxer, Whyte told reporters how he started training just to get out of trouble. Since turning professional in 2011, the Brit has faced several iconic names in the sport of boxing, including Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, David Allen, Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker.
Now, he faces one of the toughest tests of his career - but he is fully relishing the underdog role on fight night. Itauma has been backed by several boxing legends to achieve great things in the sport. Whyte is fully believing in himself ahead of fight night as he looks to score a monumental upset. 'Today Moses is the next Mike Tyson," he said of Itauma. "He is great, amazing and they talk about him fighting (Oleksandr) Usyk. I go in there, he does his thing, I catch him and blow him up. Then what? People say he's not good any more?
'My mindset is no-one wants to fight Moses, he is a great fighter, young, sharp and full of beans. You have to believe in yourself and take risks. That is what my life is all about. Showing people, my family and my kids, and people in general, you have to take risks to get to places. I ain't got nothing to lose. What have I got to lose? I'm a nobody. I'm being compared to a journeyman in the 90s and 80s, he is being compared to Mike Tyson.'
When is Dillian Whyte vs Moses Itauma?
The 'Esports World Cup Fight Week: Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte ' will take place on Saturday, August 16. The main undercard is due to get underway at around 5:45 pm UK time (12:45 pm ET / 9:45 am PT). The main event ringwalks will likely take place at around 10:20pm UK time (5:20 pm ET / 2:20 pm PT).
All of the action will be streamed live on DAZN Pay Per-View. The event is priced at £19.99 in the United Kingdom, $49.99 in the United States, €19.99 in Europe and $49.95 in Australia.
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