Dillian Whyte retirement rumour spreads just days before Moses Itauma fight
Dillian Whyte could hang up the gloves once and for all should be suffer a defeat to rising star Moses Itauma on Saturday night.
It feels as if Whyte's career is on the line as he prepares to take on Itauma in the ring in Saudi Arabia. Both men are at different stages of their respective careers. Whyte is seemingly edging closer to retirement, while 20-year-old Itauma has been tipped for greatness.
Whyte comes into the clash off the back of a win against Ebenezer Tetteh back in December. As for his opponent, Itauma scored a destructive knockout victory over Mike Balogun in his last outing back in May. At 37, many are wondering how much Whyte has got left to give.
The Brixton native's former rival, Derek Chisora, has heard that the 'Body Snatcher' could retire should he lose to the young heavyweight prospect. Both Whyte and Chisora have gone head-to-head on two separate occasions, with the former winning both encounters, one via knockout and one on points. Despite their rather frosty relationship, Chisora hopes to see his rival roll back the years.
'I would love to see Dillian win,' Chisora told The Sun."Because Dillian is from the old school. I love Moses but I have shared the ring with Dillian twice and I've sparred so many rounds with him. There's a young buck who's coming in the neighbourhood, who's just smoking everybody, so I would like to see Dillian win it, it would be amazing."
Chisora went on to add that there have been rumours going around that Whyte could call it a day should he suffer his fourth career defeat in Saudi Arabia. 'I would love to see Dillian win it, but it's a long shot, because Moses is on the right track now," Chisora added. 'And plus, remember, Dillian apparently said if he gets beat, he's going to retire, that's the rumour."
Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£19.99
DAZN
Order the fight here
Product Description
Despite a few retirement rumours floating about, it seems as if the 'Body Snatcher' is fully focused on the task at hand is taking preparations very seriously. Ahead of the clash, pictures of the Brit's current physique emerged. The 37-year-old looked lean and in superb condition. On the Brit's condition, one fan wrote: "Wow, that's his best ever condition," while another commented: "Whyte is is looking lean and mean. He just got to avoid the uppercut, and he could pull of the upset in this fight." A final fan replied: "Wow he looks unbelievable. Itauma has got to be careful."
Whyte has admitted he has not stepped on the scales since his fight with Tetteh back in December - but it remains evident that he has been hard at work. 'I've just been cracking on, man,' he said. 'I've just been focusing on giving Buddy [McGirt] what he needs, what he wants to see and how he wants to see it.
'I've been listening to the team. They've been around me a long time, so I've learned to just do what they ask, because they probably know me more than I know myself. They're monitoring me daily, so if they say, 'Don't go to the gym today,' I'm gonna sit down. If they say, 'Do more,' I'm gonna do more. But I haven't stepped on the scales since last December, since my last fight.'
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Horse racing tips: Back Billy Loughnane to land this big-price double at Newbury on Friday
Read on for the selections FIVER FLUTTER Horse racing tips: Back Billy Loughnane to land this big-price double at Newbury on Friday SUN Racing's Friday picks are below. Back a horse by clicking their odds. LONGSHOT PENHALLAM (3.05 Newbury) He wasn't at home at Goodwood last time on the back of a decent maiden win over course and distance. EACH-WAY THIEF DANEH OF DANDY (4.45 Newbury) He likes this trip and can hit the frame upped in class while in decent nick. MYTHICAL COMPOSER (5.20 Newbury) He went close at Newmarket last time out and should be on the premises again. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Michael ‘Venom' Page to make championship weight in case of UFC 319 main event collapse as he nears shock MW title shot
MICHAEL 'VENOM' PAGE never in his wildest dreams thought about fighting for the middleweight title when he joined the UFC two years ago. But despite entering the promotion as a welterweight, he finds himself potentially just TWO fights away from vying for the 185lbs belt. 8 Michael 'Venom' Page returns to the octagon at UFC 319 Credit: GETTY 8 Fan favourite will make his second outing at middleweight Credit: GETTY 8 Page will take on veteran 185-pounder Jared Cannonier on a stacked Chicago card Credit: GETTY 8 A dominant win could put the Brit on the cusp of a shock crack at middleweight gold Credit: GETTY Page's unexpected middleweight journey continues in the early hours of Sunday morning on a stacked UFC 319 in Chicago. His second assignment in the weight class is wily veteran Jared Cannonier, who has ambitions of making one last run at the title. And Page knows a spectacular showing against 'The Killa Gorilla' could very well put him within touching distance of an unexpected crack at middleweight gold. In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said of potentially moving into title contention with a win over Cannonier: "100 per cent. "And again, it's like what I say: Just keep pushing forward, keep progressing forward, as long as the fight that you get represents progression. "It does put me in a very, very good place. So this win 100 per cent [puts me in title contention]. "I'm not sure who the next person is gonna be, but it definitely puts me in a great location for the middleweight division." Page was all set on returning to welterweight after winning his middleweight bow against Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov in February. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 8 Michael 'Venom' Page reckons a win over Jared Cannonier will catapult him middleweight top five Credit: REUTERS 8 The London Shootfighters ace is eyeing his first stoppage win inside the octagon Credit: REX But he heard nothing but crickets from the slew of contenders jockeying for position in the stacked 170lbs division after dominating the previously undefeated Russian. He said: "I was like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna get loads of requests now to push for another big fight.' And it was just silent, man. It was silent. "So you know, I was asking questions and then I was getting given names that, for me, I was like, 'This doesn't make any sense.' "I was like, 'I've just beaten someone that I'm sure had he beaten me, he would be talking title elimination next.' "'So then why am I getting a top No.20 rank and a No.22-ranked?' And in my head, I was like, 'This doesn't make any sense.' "After speaking to a lot of people and going back and forth and so on and so forth, I realised the welterweight division is very political. "There's a lot of experienced guys that are at the top and it's a lot harder to push them to fight. "Whereas in in the middleweight division, there are a lot of up-and-coming guys, and they just wanna take fights just to try and keep proving themselves and going forward. "So I was just like, 'Yeah, let me just go to ask for a middleweight fight.' And I had a couple of names come through. "It landed on Cannonier, where it had [been] somebody else and I said yes to. Then that, I don't know, how it fell out, but it fell out. "And then Canonnier came and confirmed and I was like, 'Yes.' To be fair, it was definitely a more exciting fight." The middleweight title will be on the line just a few hours after Page locks horns with Cannonier. It definitely puts me in a great location for the middleweight division Michael 'Venom' Page on a win over Jared Cannonier 8 The middleweight title will be on the line in UFC 319's main event Credit: UFC 8 MVP plans to make championship weight in case his services are called on Credit: GETTY And he'll will be making championship weight just in case something goes awry ahead of the eagerly anticipated showdown between champion Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev and back-up fighter Caio Borralho is unable to fight. He said: " 100 per cent I'm making championship weight. Like, why, why would I not?" He added: "I'm gonna make that weight and if something was to go wrong and they asked to put me in, please understand that I'm putting my hand up. "And I'm jumping straight into that fight, like, face first into that fight. Page faces a Cannonier looking to prove he's still capable of making a run to the title at the ripe old age of 41. And at this juncture of his career, Page doesn't foresee the American deviating from what got him to the dance. "If he's smart enough, he's gonna just want power forward," Page said." And like you say, get into cliches, get a hold of me, try and take me down to the floor, rough me up and utilise his size, utilise his strength. "And this is what we've been working for. I don't see him being able to do anything else. If he does anything else, it, it just makes the, the fight a lot easier for me. "If you try to stand, I know he's got heavy hands, but if you're gonna try to out strike me, it's gonna be a problem for you. "So again we've made the adjustments, we understand what he's gonna come in with."
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
‘You're a snake' – Derek Chisora's explosive row with Dillian Whyte after slamming drugs scandal and Moses Itauma fight
DEREK CHISORA says he had a blazing row with Dillian Whyte after repeatedly criticising his Great British rival. Chisora shared 23 epic rounds with Whyte, losing a controversial split-decision in 2016 before being knocked out by a left hook two years later. 5 5 In the years since, the two have become the best of enemies, with their relationship blowing from hot and cold. But Whyte, 37, was left heated after Chisora, 41, questioned his decision to accept a bout with unbeaten 12-0 prospect Moses Itauma. And Chisora's stance on doping offenders needing an instant decade-long ban is also said to have fired up Whyte. Chisora made the claim on SunSport's latest No Glove Lost episode ahead of Whyte's fight against Itauma on Saturday - live on DAZN PPV. He said: "I rang him and he didn't answer and then he sent me a voice note saying, 'Why are you ringing me for? You're not my friend, you're a snake, you're trying to take food out of my kids' mouth.' "But the reason why he's upset is because a couple of months ago I did talkSPORT and I said I think if you get caught cheating in boxing, you should get banned for life because. "Why should you have a disadvantage on someone else who's woken up every morning, trained hard, but you train less and you inject yourself by something to beat the other guy? "That's not fair, so that's my thing. I always talk to the board that if we get someone cheating in the in in boxing they should get banned for like at least ten years." 5 Whyte was banned for TWO YEARS in 2012 after testing positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA) - known to increase energy. The stimulant was contained in a pre-workout called Jack3D - which Whyte says he took without knowing it was banned. If he wins I will fight him Chisora | No Glove Lost: Itauma vs Whyte fight preview | Sun Sport In July 2019, Whyte then tested positive for an unknown banned substance before his victory over Oscar Rivas - with the bout allowed to go ahead. But five months later the case was dropped by United Kingdom Anti-Doping in another case of "isolated contamination". Whyte's third doping case came in 2023 when his big-money rematch with Anthony Joshua - following defeat in 2015 - was scrapped. Again, the Jamaican-Brit returned an adverse finding and put it down to contamination before he continued his career overseas without serving a ban. British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde joined Chisora on the panel and agreed abusers of Performance Enhancing Drugs must be banned. Yarde was beaten in his 2019 WBO world title challenge to Sergey Kovalev - who tested positive for synthetic testosterone. He said: "This is nothing against Dillian but I in terms of people who have been caught or that cheat in boxing, I agree. You should be banned. "Even looking at my career, this might be a bit personal to me, but Kovalev when I went out to Russia, again I'm a young kid in boxing, I'm a kid. "I go out to Russia, heart of a lion, gave everything. Then he thought Canelo, he got knocked out and his return fight, he got banned for drugs. I rang him and he didn't answer and then he sent me a voice note saying, 'Why are you ringing me for? You're not my friend, you're a snake, you're trying to take food out of my kids' mouth.' Derek Chisora on Dillian Whyte "Like, how does that make me feel looking at that saying my life could be different? What if I won that fight, like these are the three kinds of things that go through here that can break people. "That can make people think I'm not good enough. It can ruin someone's career. "And we're in the hurt business. Boxing's a dangerous sport. If you get found drugs in your system, as Derek said, lifetime ban." Chisora himself was offered the fight for Itauma - but he turned down the £2million deal to preserve his No1 ranking in the IBF. But if Whyte turns back the clock and upsets the odds - Chisora is open for the trilogy bout to close out his 50th and final fight. He said: "If he wins this one, maybe one more. If he wins this one, I will fight." Chisora is actually hoping and picking Whyte to win - with retirement allegedly on the cards if his old pal is beaten. He said: "Listen, I would love to see Dillian win it. Genuinely, because Dillian is from the old school. "There's a young buck who's coming in the neighbourhood who's just smoking everybody. I would like to see Dillian win it, it'd be amazing. "And remember Dillian apparently said, if he gets beat he'll retire after this one. That's the rumour. But I want Dillian to win it." 5 5
