On Saturday Dillian Whyte wants to get closer to the next fight against his big rival Anthony Joshua by defending the title of his WBC International Heavyweight Belt against Lucas Browne (live stream from 8pm). SPOX looks back on the career of the “Body Snatcher”.
“Fuck easy!” Dillian Whyte stands in the ring of a training hall and snorts at his coach Jonathan Banks. The former coach of Vladimir Klitschko had wanted to reassure him. After all, Whyte’s sparring partner Kash Ali should not suffer the same fate as his predecessor. He had to stop training early after Whyte broke his nose.
It soon becomes clear that the boxer, known as a body snatcher, has little to do with the prudent, calm nature of the former Ukrainian protégé of Banks. Whyte is much more aggressive in and around the ring and is known for his provocations in the social networks.
The explosive streak of the current number one in the WBC Boxing Ranking is no coincidence. Born in Jamaica, the Briton had to go through a lot in his youth. When Whyte was two years old, his mother set off for London hoping for a better future. The future boxing star remained in poverty in Jamaica and tried to raise some money and food by stealing and collecting deposit bottles on the beach and in the garbage.
The strong mentality that distinguishes Whyte in the ring today, he developed already in this early phase of his life. Whyte told skysport that one day his father threw him out of the boat fishing with the words “drown or swim”, although Whyte couldn’t swim.
Biting through is a characteristic that is also in demand in the London district of Brixton. Many migrants from Caribbean countries live here in many grey concrete blocks. The area is known for its high crime rate and gang fights. Next to a garage with run-down and broken cars, Whyte is currently training here for the fight against Lucas Browne (Sat, from 8pm on live stream).
At the age of twelve, the self-proclaimed King of South London came here and followed his mother to England. However, Whyte’s life situation did not improve as a result of the move. He quickly became part of the local gang movements, was shot several times and stabbed with knives.
Shortly after he escaped a long prison sentence for several crimes, a friend of his introduced Whyte to kickboxing: “I knew it was my only chance in life,” says Whyte today. He seized this opportunity with flying colors. For five years, the now 29-year-old took first place in kickboxing in the category over 95kg and also had his first fights in amateur boxing. In his first fights, he caused a sensation mainly because one of his opponents was in a coma for several weeks after a blow in the fight.
From today’s point of view, one of Whyte’s opponents at that time is particularly interesting. In 2009 he met his big competitor Anthony Joshua for the first time. The two were still at the beginning of their boxing careers at the time and fought in a small hall in London for three rounds. At the end of the fight, Whyte won on points against the future superstar, who was on 31 March. March with Joseph Parker in a unification battle (live on DAZN).
Page 1: Whyte before his boxing career: From poverty in Jamaica to crime in London
Page 2: Whyte as a professional boxer: doping, defeat against Joshua, change of training