Fury vs Whyte: Everything You Need to Know

In what Tyson claimed to be the final fight of his career, under the guidance of Frank Warren and his team at Queensberry Promotions, he faced Dillian Whyte, the challenger for his WBC heavyweight title. The bout took place in front of a record-breaking 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on the 23rd of April, 2022.

The bout was not only a career-defining moment for Fury who was looking at ending his career with an undefeated professional record but also an opportunity for Whyte to reach a new height in his career by dethroning the reigning champion. Here are all the details of the Dillian Whyte vs Tyson Fury matchup.

Background

Before the WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman ordered Fury to defend his heavyweight title against Whyte, Fury had achieved an undefeated record of 32 wins and 1 draw. Over the course of his 16+ year career, the “Gypsy King” had faced some of the toughest and most celebrated fighters, including:

Wladimir Klitschko
Derek Chisora
Otto Wallin
Tom Schwarz

After his return in 2018, Fury would also beat twice and draw once to with Deontay Wilder, which ended up being one of the most iconic trilogies in modern boxing history.

In terms of actual achievements, before facing Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury was already an icon in British boxing, having claimed the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, Lineal, and The Ring heavyweight titles by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.

Before being scheduled for a shot at Fury’s world titles, Dillian Whyte had established himself as one of the top contenders in the heavyweight division, having defeated boxers in the likes of:

Alexander Povetkin
Derek Chisora
Joseph Parker

Throughout his 13+ year career as a professional boxer, Whyte has achieved a professional record of 28 wins (20 by KO) and two losses, which came from Anthony Joshua in 2015 and Alexander Povetkin in 2021.

During his career, Whyte also held the WBC interim heavyweight title twice and as of October 2021, he was ranked the world’s fifth-best active heavyweight by The Ring Magazine and the fourth-best active heavyweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

The Road to the Fight

Announcement

After the fight was announced, the first press conference took place on the 1st of March at Wembley Stadium. It was a one-man show as Whyte was absent. This didn’t seem to bother Fury too much as he declared “Even Tyson Fury versus his own shadow sells” and promised boxing fans that the fight between the two “is going to be a Ferrari racing a Vauxhall Corsa.”

The boxing tickets online went for sale the very next day with 85,000 of the 90,000 available tickets selling within the first three hours. This was a clear indication that the Fury vs Whyte fight will be the biggest in UK boxing history to date.

Fight Night Atmosphere

Ahead of the Fury vs Whyte bout, the atmosphere at the jam-packed Wembley Stadium was electric. Chants of “There’s only one Tyson Fury” echoed throughout the stadium as fans showed their unwavering support for the undefeated champion all while pockets of Dillian Whyte supporters matched the energy with chants in favour of the underdog.

Tyson Fury’s iconic ring walk was a particularly memorable highlight of the entire evening, with tens of thousands signing to Kings of Leon’s iconic song “Sex on Fire” while Tyson was making his way to the ring. After the fight, many deemed Tyson’s ring walk one of the best in boxing history.

Fight Analysis & Statistics

The fight between the two heavyweights started off unexpectedly, with Whyte choosing to fight in the southpaw stance. This was strange considering he is primarily an orthodox fighter. After a cautious three minutes for both fighters, Fury found more success, and that showed in the judges’ scorecards, which went in favour of Fury.

In round number two, the “Gypsy King” returned the favour and also started switching between the southpaw and orthodox stances. Fury controlled the round well and landed a few good punches while keeping Whyte at bay.

In round number three, Whyte continued to struggle to find an answer to his reach disadvantage while Fury kept dictating the pace of the fight, winning yet another round.

Round number four saw Whyte suffer a cut over his right eye after the two heavyweights clashed heads. Frustrated and failing to close the distance, Whyte kept trying but Fury was in absolute control, landing some good punches all over Whyte’s body and head.

Both fighters were a lot more cautious in round five, keeping their distance and calculating their punches. Still, Fury managed to snatch the round by being the better fighter and landing a straight right, which seemed to stun the challenger momentarily.

In round number six, both fighters continued chipping at each other throughout. With ten seconds to go, Tyson Fury stunned Whyte with a clear uppercut, which sent him to the ground. And although Whyte managed to rise to his feet, he was wobbly. This was enough for the referee Mark Lyson to deem it unsafe for him to continue, declaring Fury the winner by a sixth-round technical knockout.

By the end of round six, Fury had thrown 243 total punches compared to Whyte’s 171. The “Gypsy King” was also more accurate, landing 31.3% of his punches vs Whyte’s 17%.

The Knockout

As round number six started to unfold, Fury continued to set the pace for the fight. With Whyte growing more frustrated that he couldn’t close the distance, he started to overcommit, and Tyson spotted this mistake.

With ten seconds to go of round number six, Fury capitalised on Whyte’s forward momentum and delivered a textbook uppercut with precision and force. It caught Whyte flush on the chin and was enough to send him to the canvas and seal Fury’s 32nd career win and 23rd win by KO.

Fight Outcome

After knocking out the challenger, Dillian Whyte in the last seconds of round number six, Tyson Fury won the fight and defended his heavyweight title.

After five rounds of boxing, the judge’s scorecards were all in favour of Tyson. One of the judges, Robert Tapper had given every round to Tyson, scoring a perfect 50-45 in Tyson’s favour. As for the other two judges, Guido Cavalleri and Juan Carlos Pelayo, their scorecards also favoured Fury, with scores of 49-46 and 48-47, respectively.

Post-Fight Reactions

After winning in front of his home crowd, Fury thanked everyone who attended to watch the bout between the two. He also praised the referee Mark Lyson for doing a great job and stopping the fight and not putting Whyte at the risk of getting seriously hurt.

During the post-fight press conference, Tyson also said “It was an entertaining night. I’ve never experienced an atmosphere like that before. It was that good.”

Fury also expressed his gratitude to Frank Warren for giving him a chance and bringing him back from the “brink of death,” - emphasising how important Warren was for his comeback and in what he went on to achieve in the years that followed.

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Who Won the Fury vs. Whyte Fight?

Between the two heavyweights, Tyson Fury came out victorious after the “Gypsy King” knocked out Dillian Whyte in round number six. After landing a left jab, Fury immediately followed with a right uppercut, which caught Whyte by surprise and sent him sprawling to the canvas.

Although Dillian managed to rise to his feet, the referee called the end of the fight as it was unsafe for “The Body Snatcher” to continue. At the time of the stoppage, Fury was already way ahead on the judge’s scorecards with a 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47 lead.

When and Where Did the Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte Fight Take Place?

The bout between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte took place at Wembley Stadium in front of a record-breaking 94,000 fans on April 23rd, 2022.

This was one of the most highly anticipated boxing events at the time, as Tyson Fury had just come back victorious from one of the most legendary trilogies in boxing history against Diontay Wilder.

What Was at Stake in the Fight?

The bout between Dillian Whyte vs Tyson Fury saw the two heavyweights competing for the WBC, Lineal, and The Ring Magazine Heavyweight titles.

However, with Tyson Fury announcing that his bout against Whyte was the last one of his career and Whyte trying to rebuild his legacy after suffering a devastating KO to Alexander Povetkin less than two years prior - there was a lot more on the line than a couple of heavyweight titles.

A win for Fury would mean ending his career on a high as a WBC and The Ring Magazine heavyweight champion and solidifying his career as one of the sport’s greatest athletes.

A win for Whyte would be a defining moment in his career not only because he’d claim a number of heavyweight titles but because he’d have a win over prime Tyson Fury - an achievement that no other fighter had managed to accomplish at the time.

Queensberry Fury vs Whyte