Anthony Joshua and David Haye are among the names from the world of boxing who have predicted the winner of the WBC heavyweight blockbuster between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte.
The Gypsy King hopes to defend his coveted belt against Whyte at Wembley Stadium tonight - in a matchup which could be Fury's final ever bout in the ring.
Although the Morecambe-based champion has cooled down talks of retirement recently, with his father John doubting that he will in fact call it a day, Fury has previously stated that he feels his career is complete should he successfully defend against Whyte - The MEN reports.
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This will also be Fury's first fight on home soil since August 2018. He had hoped to face Oleksandr Usyk in a unification bout, but both Whyte and Anthony Joshua refused to step-aside with that fight now on hold.
Whyte has not fought since last March when he dispatched Alexander Povetkin, as Fury and Whyte have been involved in a war of words, along with plenty of disagreements leading up to the fight on image rights and purse split.
Ahead of the bout, fighters have given their predictions on who they think will come out victorious.
David Haye:
“The type of opponent that you’d need to beat Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte has all of those attributes. He can punch hard, he’s got cardio for days he’s got the desire and belief in himself.
“I think Whyte is going to pull off the upset. I think this is his opportunity. I think this is what he’s been waiting for.
"This happened at the right time for him and I think the fact that Tyson Fury’s so highly regarded by everybody, works in Dillian’s favour. So, I’m going with the unpopular underdog.”
Prediction: Dillian Whyte
Carl Frampton:
“Dillian Whyte is a good fighter. A really credible opponent for a fight of this magnitude, he’s a good fighter. And he can punch, good left-hook, good jab, tough as well.
“I think if you build a fighter for [challenging] Tyson Fury, you’d build something close to Dillian Whyte. A shorter, more squat guy, aggressive, a hooker who is a bit wild. I think that’s Dillian Whyte isn’t it. He’s got more than a puncher’s chance, I think it’s a bit disrespectful to say that.
“He’s got bags and bags of determination and probably a bit of chip on his shoulder because people think this is going to be an easy fight. But it’s hard for me to see anything other than a Tyson Fury victory and I think he may stop him late on.”
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Eddie Hearn:
“He’s a tremendous puncher, a big strong, rugged heavyweight. Tyson Fury, coming off the Wilder fight, he was down twice in that fight.
“Wilder is a big puncher of course and Fury, at the moment on paper, is the best heavyweight in the world, but Dillian Whyte can beat all the heavyweights on his night.
“He has the equaliser as he’s a tremendous body puncher, a left hook that can turn your lights out as well."
Prediction: Dillian Whyte
Anthony Joshua:
"Dillian Whyte needs to come in and watch what Tyson Fury is doing and react to that - he should work the body and be conditioned to go the distance.
"I hope he has trained hard."
Prediction: Didn't say
Lennox Lewis:
"Tyson Fury can stand way back and jab and box, or could box inside.
"There is a danger though, Dillian Whyte will throw some serious punches - he has a great hook and a great right hand."
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Joe Joyce:
"It's gonna be a good fight but I see Fury being the bigger man and using his movement.
"Whyte is going to want to close the distance, get inside and work the body.
"I can see Fury a victory, but you never know."
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Frank Bruno:
"I think Tyson will come out heavier and be hard for Dillian Whyte to handle.
"I hope I could say Whyte, but Fury is at his peak."
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Johnny Nelson:
“You’ve got to go by form. I have to lean towards Tyson Fury on past results and past form, he’s the only one who has done everything and backed up everything he’s said and done. So, I would have to go with Tyson Fury.
“Saying that, when I’m hearing the statements saying Whyte hasn’t got a chance, I think whoever’s saying that is absolutely ridiculous.
“Dillian Whyte has got every chance, but he’s coming up against a man who’s unbeaten and is so far unbeatable.”
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Conor Benn:
“Dillian Whyte definitely has a chance. You got to remember the hard fights [Fury] has had with Wilder, but then Whyte has been inactive. So it’s a hard one. It’s the heavyweights. A punch can change the game, but Fury has shown he has the punching power as well.
“Listen, when you get hit with 17 or 18 stone on your chin, you definitely know about it. It’s a tough fight for both men. I’d like to think Whyte can win but I wouldn’t be putting my money anywhere.
“I’m on the fence, I wouldn’t put a bet on this one. I could see it going to points and I think Whyte could win on points, I do. He’s robust, he’s rugged, he comes in and and takes the fight to Fury. But, Fury is a fighting man so it just makes for a great fight.”
Prediction: Dillian Whyte
Ricky Hatton:
“Let’s have it right, Dillian Whyte is not going to outbox Tyson Fury, he’s not going to out-speed Tyson Fury.
“Tyson, for a giant, 6ft 10in, is so versatile. He showed in his last fight [against Deontay Wilder] and previous fights, that he can stand close and mix it up. He can box southpaw, he can box orthodox, he can box from a distance, he’s great defensively.
“So, there’s no point in Dillian going out there thinking he can outbox Tyson because he can’t. He’s got to go for the knockout and try and get that big one in. Tyson’s been on his backside a few times. Dillian will know he’s capable of landing that and beating Tyson.”
“I think it’s all about what Tyson Fury turns up.
“Tyson lately has been fighting like a 6’10’ Rocky Marciano. He wants to go to war and be in the trenches with everyone at the minute.
“For this fight, I think we’re going to see a bit of the old Tyson Fury. Distance, you know, try break Dillian down a little bit. Let the storm blow itself out a little bit and then come on in the later rounds.
“I think Dillian has got to go in there and go for the knockout because I can see him winning on points.”
Prediction: Tyson Fury
Dereck Chisora:
"I'm willing to put my house on it that Dillian Whyte is gonna knock Tyson Fury out. Tyson is my mate, but I know he's listening and he's gonna get knocked out."
Prediction: Dillian Whyte
Who are you backing to win tonight's scrap at Wembley? Let us know in the comments below.
