Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce (13-0, 12 Kos) believes that Tyson Fury will be too skilful for Dillian Whyte and has backed the ‘Gypsy King’ to retain his WBC and lineal heavyweight titles tonight, in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Joyce will be a keen observer as he is currently ranked No.2 in the sanctioning body’s ratings and may be on a collision course with the winner, either this year, or next.
‘The Juggernaut’ is acquainted with the conundrum Tyson Fury poses with hand and foot speed which belies his enormous frame, having shared the ring with him in sparring. So far, 27 opponents over 31 fights have failed to effectively execute a game plan to overcome Fury’s unique skillset.
Joyce believes that Whyte shares stylistic similarities with Dereck Chisora, who Fury has twice beaten, first by unanimous decision in 2011, and then by 10 th round stoppage, three years later.
Joyce is of the opinion that the challenger may have similar struggles to those encountered by Chisora: “I think it is a similar match up of styles as it was with [Tyson] Fury and [Dereck] Chisora when they fought, where Fury was just landing the jab at will,” Joyce told Boxing Social. “If Dillian can get inside and land a few hooks and make it messy, I think it’s going to be a great fight. My money is probably going to be on Fury for this one. He’s the bigger guy, with the longer reach. His skills and footwork will make it hard for Whyte to deal with.
“Let’s see what Dillian comes up with. It’s on him to beat the champion and hopefully, he’ll have some tricks up his sleeve. It’s going to be an entertaining, explosive fight.”