Dillian Whyte has claimed Tyson Fury "got away" with a long count in his first world heavyweight title fight with Deontay Wilder.
Fury and Wilder spent the entirety of 2018 through to 2021 ensnared in a vicious rivalry, competing in three epic world title bouts which ultimately saw the Brit emerge undefeated with the belt. However, there is a theory that he should never have made it out of their first meeting, after being brutally dropped in the final round.
Famously, Fury somehow managed to get up before the 10-count in Los Angeles and their initial bout was ruled a draw after the Brit had dominated the majority of proceedings. And Whyte believes that the count was long, and thus Fury should never have been able to get a draw.
“It’s boxing, man,” Whyte told The Guardian ahead of his own meeting with Fury, whom he claims he has dropped multiple times in training. “There’s always something going on, some sort of set-up. It ain’t ever going to change. But with this fight I don’t understand why there’re no British judges when we’re both British.
"You wonder why Tyson doesn’t want any British officials. He seems to have more lives than a cat, the way he gets away with stuff like that extra-long count. I know what I’m up against. People say I have to get the knockout to win but, to me, it’s all good. I’m ready to risk everything.”
At the time, the decision proved controversial for some. It has since become an iconic sporting moment, but many believed that Fury was given too much time to rise from a vicious right hand, the likes of which Wilder had used to stop his previous 39 opponents.
But referee Jack Reiss defended his call, at the time telling Sirius XM: "If there was earlier, heavy damage and he had been hurt or if there was a history in the fight that he was really getting knocked around and then he fell like that and hit his head, I would have waved it off.
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"But the fight was so close. The magnitude of the fight, being a heavyweight championship fight, I’ve always been taught to count a champion out I wanted to give him every opportunity so I took my time. Not that I stalled the count like these knuckleheads are saying.
"I was just patient and I went down to make sure what I was doing was correct because I want to do what’s best for boxing."
Fury is a heavy favourite for his fight against Whyte, who has been the mandatory challenger for the belt since Wilder's initial reign. The Londoner has vicious knockout power, but even though Fury has been down on a number of occasions in his career, nobody has been able to stop him yet.
And Whyte believes he can change that, explaining: "When I hit guys I’ve got a thudding power and I know how to follow up. Tyson will feel the difference.”
