DillianWhyte
“The Body Snatcher”
Former WBC Interim World Heavyweight Champion
Dillian Whyte held a trump card that would catapult him from the slog of the small hall scenetowards occasions such as fighting for the WBC world title in front of 94,000 at Wembley Stadium.
Whyte, now 37, launched his professional heavyweight career in 2011 at the Medway Park Leisure Centre in Gillingham and his early journey would take him to venues such as the Coronet Theatre, York Hall, Liverpool Olympia, The Troxy, Camden Centre and even Aintree Racecourse.
As the London Olympics played out in 2012, Whyte would soon become aware that he possessed an ace up his sleeve relating to the gold medal winner, Anthony Joshua.
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WINS
31
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LOSES
3
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DRAW
0
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kOs
21
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WEIGHT
261 lbs
(118 Kg) -
HEIGHT
6’4”
(193 cm) -
REACH
78”
(198 cm)
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Trainer
Buddy McGirt
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Born
11 April 1988
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Born in
Port Antonio, Jamaica
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nation
British
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residence
London, UK
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KO Percentage
67.74%
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Stance
Orthodox
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Rounds
192
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Debut
13 May 2011
World Championships
Whyte returned after an enforced career hiatus in 2014, a year after Joshua’s professional journey began to great fanfare and adulation. He soon let it be known that he held a victory over the Golden Boy in the amateurs and a sparky South East London rivalry was born.
Joshua’s handlers knew that a money fight between the feuding pair was on the horizon and the pair eventually came together for a pay-per-view event in December 2015. Whyte’s days of shifting tickets to fight at Camden Centre were over.
The night at the 02 Arena was a typically tense affair with two unbeaten records being put on the line and bragging rights there for the taking. The pair engaged in a shootout and, while Joshua was getting the better of the exchanges, Whyte had him wobbled at one point and the Joshua money train could have been knocked off course.
Ultimately, Whyte was hampered by a shoulder injury and his conditioning was not as it should have been, so it was no surprise when Joshua finally put him to the canvas in round seven.
Whyte took big lessons from the humbling defeat and set about getting himself in shape to become a heavyweight contender. He teamed up with East London trainer Mark Tibbs and worked with specialists at Loughborough University to maximise his physical advantages.
He was taking the first steps on the road to world title contention.
Records and Accolades
His first WBC title - the International heavyweight belt - was won via a points defeat of Dave Allen in July 2016 before he became British champion by retiring Ian Lewison in the tenth three months later.
If you can’t beat them, join them. And in the December Whyte took his place on a Joshua undercard for the first of two thrilling encounters with Dereck Chisora. The first, a contentious decision, saw him awarded victory by split decision before the pair met again two years later. Behind on the cards, Whyte pulled out a show stopping shot in the 11th to complete a double over his new rival.
In-between times, Whyte notched up notable victories over Robert Helenius, Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker, aying out his credentials to be considered for world title business.
Oscar Rivas and Mariusz Wach came next and Whyte was in pole position for a shot at Tyson Fury for the WBC belt.
Major Achievements and Titles
Then came a shocking reverse. After seemingly being on the verge of overwhelming the veteran heavy Alexander Povetkin, Whyte found himself on the end of a brutal KO and his world title dreams appeared to go up in smoke.
His mandatory position was gone, for the time being, but Whyte is nothing if not resilient.
After Povetkin recovered from a bad dose of Covid-19, Gibraltar was the unlikely setting for the rematch. This time Whyte made no mistakes and the Russian had nothing left to give by the fourth round.
Whyte’s world title quest was back on track and, following the cancellation of a proposed fight against Otto Wallin, he was finally put forward by the WBC to challenge the champion.
Which brought us to Wembley Stadium in April 2022 on St George’s Day and the fulfilment of a mission.
Strengths and Key Techniques in the Ring
Sadly for Whyte, he didn’t bring his major attributes to the Wembley table against Fury and it was an unusually timid version of himself that succumbed to a 6th round stoppage.
Whyte is at his best when he is bringing full fire and brimstone, when he sticks it on his opponent from the opening press conference right through to the weigh in. Then his lethal, bludgeoning left hook comes
into play.
The key strength of Whyte is, bluntly, that he is as tough as old boots. He would excel in any code of fighting combat and, considering he was never blessed with major backing on his way through, the fact that he emerged as a big contender is of enormous credit to him.
Cultural Influence and Public Persona
Whyte is a hugely popular public figure because what you see is what you get and, if he talks the talk, he certainly packs the punch to go with it. Whyte’s story is landing in Brixton from Jamaica as a young man and making a success of his life.
He is spreading his good fortune, sharing his experience and knowledge by managing the careers of other fighters, most notably Fabio Wardley.
Whyte knows how to sell a fight but, these days, he is more likely to shoot down his opponent with a snappy one-liner than any push and shove.
Future Prospects and Upcoming Fights
Whyte is very much open for heavyweight business again and, reports suggest, is set to appear on a Queensberry-Riyadh Season card on August 16.
Fighting History
Upcoming
Moses Itauma
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
16 aug 2025
Win
7 round rtd
Ebenezer Tetteh
Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar
15 Dec 2024
Win
3 round rtd
Christian Hammer
Royal Theatre, Castlebar, Ireland
17 Mar 2024
Win
12 round md
Jermaine Franklin Jr
Wembley Arena, Wembley, UK
26 Nov 2022
Loss
6 round tko
TYson Fury
Wembley Stadium, Wembley, UK
WBC World Heavyweight Championship
23 Apr 2022
Win
4 round tko
Alexander Povetkin
Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar
WBC Interim World Heavyweight Championship
27 Mar 2021
Loss
5 round ko
Alexander Povetkin
HQ Garden, Brentwood, UK
WBC Interim World & Vacant WBC Diamond Heavyweight Championship
22 Aug 2020
Win
10 round ud
Mariusz Wach
Diriyah Arena, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
7 Dec 2019
Win
12 round ud
Oscar Rivas
O2 Arena, London, UK
Vacant WBC Interim World Heavyweight Championship
20 Jul 2019
Win
11 round ko
Derek Chisora
O2 Arena, London, UK
WBC silver & WBO International Heavyweight Championship
22 Dec 2018
Win
12 round ud
Joseph Parker
O2 Arena, London, UK
WBC silver & Vacant WBO International Heavyweight Championship
28 Jul 2018
Win
6 round ko
Lucas Browne
O2 Arena, London, UK
WBC silver Heavyweight championship
24 Mar 2018
Win
6 round ko
Robert Helenius
Principality Stadium, Cardiff, UK
Vacant WBC silver Heavyweight championship
28 Oct 2017
Win
3 round tko
Malcolm Tann
Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, USA
19 Aug 2017
Win
12 round sd
Derek Chisora
Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
WBC International Heavyweight Championship
10 Dec 2016
Win
10 round rtd
Ian Lewison
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, UK
Vacant British heavyweight Championship
7 Oct 2016
Win
10 round ud
David Allen
First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
Vacant WBC International Heavyweight Championship
30 Jul 2016
Win
6 round ko
Ivica Bacurin
O2 Arena, London, UK
25 Jun 2016
Loss
7 round tko
Anthony Joshua
O2 Arena, London, UK
British, Commonwealth & WBC International Heavyweight Championship
12 Dec 2015
Win
3 round tko
Brian Minto
O2 Arena, London, UK
Vacant WBC International Silver Heavyweight Championship
12 Sep 2015
Win
1 round ko
Irineu Beato Costa Junior
Craven Park Stadium, Hull, UK
1 Aug 2018
Win
4 round ko
Beka Lobjanidze
The SSE Arena, Belfast, UK
28 Feb 2015
Win
2 round ko
Marcelo Nascimento
Camden Centre, London, UK
7 Feb 2015
Win
3 round tko
Kamil Sokolowski
City Hall, Hull, UK
20 Dec 2014
Win
3 round tko
Tomas Mrazek
Camden Centre, London, UK
28 Nov 2014
Win
2 round tko
Ante Verunica
Camden Centre, London, UK
21 Nov 2014
Win
4 round tko
Sandor Balogh
Glow, Greenhithe, UK
13 Oct 2012
Win
3 round tko
Mike Holden
York Hall, London, UK
15 Sep 2012
Win
2 round ko
Gabor Farkas
York Hall, London, UK
7 Jul 2012
Win
1 round tko
Zurab Noniashvili
Aintree Equestrian Centre, Liverpool, UK
19 May 2012
Win
1 round tko
Kristian Kirilov
The Troxy, Limehouse, UK
2 Mar 2012
Win
4 round pts
Hastings Rasani
Olympia, Liverpool, UK
21 Jan 2012
Win
3 round tko
Toni Visic
York Hall, London, UK
3 Dec 2011
Win
4 round pts
Remigijus Ziausys
Coronet Theatre, London, UK
16 Sep 2011
Win
4 round pts
Tayar Mehmed
Medway Park Leisure Centre, Gillingham, UK
13 may 2011
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