Dillian Whyte believes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is slowing down and being drawn into punishing wars of attrition.
Two weeks ago, Fury rose from two knockdowns to overwhelm and stop old rival Deontay Wilder in the 11thround of their trilogy bout in Las Vegas. But WBC Interim belt holder Whyte feels that time is taking its toll on Fury and forcing the Gypsy King to neglect his vaunted boxing for a more aggressive, front foot style.
“I think that third fight took a lot out of both men,” Whyte told Talksport. “Tyson Fury doesn’t seem to be getting any better technically. He seems to be trying to be more of a puncher and trying to walk guys down.
“But I think that’s because he’s naturally slowing down now. It’s probably the Kronk style or whatever. He’s taken a lot more punishment than he used to.”
Earlier in the week, Whyte withdrew from an October 30 clash with Otto Wallin, citing a shoulder injury. Swedish southpaw Wallin subsequently cast doubt on the injury, given that Interim title holder Whyte is next in line to face champion Fury after a ruling by the WBC. The Brixton banger maintains the injury is legitimate.
“I was training, I was ready, I was prepared, spent a fortune on training camp. I saw Wallin’s complaining he spent $20,000 or something, I was like, ‘Well try spending six times that much’. People are saying I pulled out because of whatever reason – if that was the case, why would I have four sparring partners here? I would’ve pulled out three weeks ago or whenever the [WBC] ruling was,” continued Whyte.
“I have the guys here, my whole team’s here. We suffered the injury, I wanted to fight. You’ve got professional people on your team, people who use their brain. I use my balls and my muscle. These guys are the brain guys – the surgeons and the doctors – and they told me, ‘If you fight, you’re gonna risk your career’.”