Dillian Whyte still harbours world title hopes ahead of Moses Itauma clash
It is the latest hurdle in a life of ups and downs for Whyte, who was born in Jamaica and forced to 'eat from trash cans' before he was brought up in Brixton. Trouble was never far away but kick-boxing and then boxing helped him onto the straight and narrow.
A career in professional sport has thrown up almighty challenges with Whyte forced to clear his name from drug accusations three times – the latest in 2023 after a rematch with Anthony Joshua collapsed due to a positive drugs test, which was later found to be as a result of a contaminated supplement.
Nevertheless, it pushed Whyte (31-3, 21KOs) even further away from a much-craved second world title bout after his 2022 loss to Tyson Fury until being given a shot at redemption this weekend.
'I never thought I would be a heavyweight boxer or a heavyweight champion doing good. Obviously I got in trouble, started to do a little bit of training to stay out of trouble and then kick-boxing fell on my lap and saved my life,' Whyte reflected.
'I was meant to be dead or in prison by my twenties but to overcome this, raise a family myself, it shows that anything is possible if you believe.
'I would love to win a world title. If I can win a world title then I've had an amazing career.
'I had a version of it, but if I can win a full world title, then people that come from my background, where I have come, the way I got into boxing, for me that's an amazing story to inspire people.'
Former WBC interim heavyweight champion Whyte is a huge outsider versus 20-year-old Itauma, who has earned comparisons to Mike Tyson with his knock-out power.
However, Whyte can lean on the experience of sharing the ring with Anthony Joshua, Fury, Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker during a 14-year professional career.
'These last few years have taught me that this is what I do, this is what I love doing and I need to take advantage of it, focus on it and appreciate it. Here today, gone tomorrow,' Whyte added.
'Today Moses is the next Mike Tyson. 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.'
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