Dillian Whyte thinks Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk could both stop each other in their upcoming rematch. The British heavyweight, who has faced Fury in the ring, shared his thoughts on the December 21 fight for undisputed honours.
Whyte pointed out the unpredictable nature of heavyweight boxing. He said, "In heavyweight boxing, you're always one punch away."
Usyk won the first fight on points back in May. During that bout, he caught Fury with a shot that sent him to the ropes for an eight count. Whyte thinks this moment shows Usyk's potential to finish the job next time.
"He caught him pretty good. In some places in the world, they would have stopped that fight. But because of Fury's nature and the fact he shows that he gets up and he can keep going, that's why they didn't stop it. But I think Usyk can stop him."
On the flip side, Whyte believes Fury can also find a way to stop Usyk. He praised Fury's ability to perform under pressure, saying, "He seems to be one of those guys, when the pressure is on, he shows up."
But Whyte thinks Fury will need to change his approach to beat the Ukrainian.
"For him to beat Usyk, I think he needs to use his size. He has to be more aggressive and he needs to push the fight. He can't stay on the back foot because Usyk is a tactical genius."
Whyte knows firsthand how dangerous Fury can be. The two fought at Wembley Stadium in April 2022 for the WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles. Fury won by knockout with just one second left in the sixth round.
In that fight, Whyte tried to confuse Fury by coming out in a southpaw stance. But he couldn't get going and ended up cut after a clash of heads in the fourth. Fury finished him with a jab and uppercut combo in the sixth.
The fight drew a record crowd to Wembley, showing just how big a draw Fury is. He's also known for his three world title fights with Deontay Wilder, stopping the American in their second meeting.
Whyte suggests Fury should look at how he fought Steve Cunningham for ideas on how to beat Usyk. But he'll need to be ready for Usyk's unique style. In their first fight, Usyk put pressure on Fury from the start, which no one expected.
The rematch on December 21 will settle who's the true king of the heavyweight division. As Whyte says, it could all come down to one punch.
