By: Hans Themistode
Tyson Fury is talking a big game as his heavyweight showdown against Dillian Whyte draws near. Fury will officially put his WBC world title on the line against Whyte on April 23rd, at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom, in what’s expected to be a jam-packed crowd of over 100,000.
As of late, Fury has shown extreme confidence in his ability to put his opponents out of their misery well before the sound of the final bell. Although Fury has earned a few concussive knockouts recently, promoter Eddie Hearn refuses to look at him as some sort of big-time knockout artist.
“I don’t think that Tyson Fury is a big heavyweight puncher,” said Hearn to IFL TV. “If you list the top five, six guys in the division, he’s not up there in terms of his power. You look at his resume, whether it’s [Christian] Hammer, whether it’s [Dereck] Chisora, whether it’s [Wladimir] Klitschko, whether it’s [Otto] Wallin, he’s never been an explosive puncher.”
Despite Hearn casting a dubious look on Fury’s power, the undefeated heavyweight titlist not only became the first man to defeat Deontay Wilder, but the British native did so without the need of the judge’s scorecards. During the final bout of their three-part sequel, in particular, Fury battered Wilder around the ring. As a result, Wilder hit the deck in rounds three, ten, and 11 before succumbing to Fury’s power in the penultimate round.
Without being given much choice, Hearn acknowledges that it was a job well done by Fury. However, he doesn’t believe it was a singular blow that ended Wilder’s night.
“He stopped Deontay Wilder more with pressure and work rate. But I don’t think he’s a one-punch knockout specialist. I feel like Dillian Whyte is.”
In Whyte, while he’s shown an ability to stop opponents right in their tracks, he’s recorded only two knockout victories in his past six ring appearances. Nevertheless, most recently, Whyte placed his power on display against former heavyweight contender, Alexander Povetkin.
Whyte bounced back from a shocking defeat at the hands of Povetkin in August of 2020, to score his own knockout win against the former Russian star in March of 2021. More than just his ability to crack, Whyte has an innate willingness to bite down on his mouthpiece and fight when needed.
It’s those very characteristics, along with his power, in Hearn’s view, that will allow Whyte to carry on when the going gets tough against Fury.
“I see that fight going late. I don’t see Tyson Fury winning that fight early by stoppage. If it goes late, I favor Dillian Whyte. He’s going to dog him all night, he’s going to trade left hooks and I think he has a great one in my opinion.”
