Showing posts with label Dillan Whyte. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dillan Whyte. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Fury-Chisora 3 Preview

Normally when there is a trilogy of fights between two fighters, the third bout is usually the deciding encounter between the two, usually with each fighter having won one fight each in a conventional scenario. There are times however, when a trilogy comes about not to determine who is the better fighter, but because one fighter is able to secure an opportunity. In the case of the rivalry between undefeated two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and longtime contender and former world title challenger Dereck Chisora, their third bout comes more than eight years after their second bout with Fury having won both of those fights. 


Obviously, a lot can happen in eight years time and these two are different fighters than the ones that first met in July 2011 for the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight championships. Although Chisora was stopped in their second bout in November 2014 and is many years removed from his one previous attempt at a world championship when he lost a decision to Vitali Klitschko for the WBC world championship that Fury now holds, he has seen a recent career resurgence following some hard luck decisions that have gone against him. In his last bout, Chisora scored a hard fought twelve round split decision over former world title challenger Kubrat Pulev in July of this year, the second of the two encounters between the two.  


After forty-five bouts in a career that began fifteen years ago in 2007, Chisora has admitted that he does not have too many fights left in him. Despite losing two fights to Tyson Fury, the stakes are obviously higher this time around with a world championship on the line. Fury meanwhile, has spent the last several months retiring and unretiring from the sport seemingly in an attempt to goad the media as well as former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, who has been a potential opponent for him for the last several years. In his last fight, Fury successfully made the second defense of his WBC championship by scoring a sixth round knockout of longtime mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte in Wembley Stadium.  


Although Fury has managed to stay unbeaten in the years since he last fought Chisora, he has also like his next challenger gone through ups and downs both in and out of the ring. Many will recall the punishment Fury sustained in two of his three bouts with Deontay Wilder, the man who Fury won two bouts via knockout to win the WBC championship and successfully defend it against in one of the sport’s most memorable trilogies in the recent history of Boxing. While Fury did not show any signs of decline in his most recent title defense against Whyte, it should be obvious to any level-headed observer that fighters have two things that they combat over the course of their careers that ultimately take a toll on them. One is the natural passage of time, after all, we are all human and fighters like the rest of us do age with time. The second thing a fighter combats over the course of that time in terms of both preparing for competition and during the actual fights themselves is the accumulative effect of all the punishment both in training and in competition that ultimately leads to a fighter’s decline.  


For Fury, the question going into this fight is simple. After thirty-three pro bouts in a career that began in 2009 as well as his struggles with mental health outside the ring, and the wars he has been in inside the ring, at thirty four years of age, it is fair to ask whether his heart is truly in it now after retiring once and relinquishing what was a unified crown several years ago to address his mental health, as well as his recent retirements and unretirements, which may or may not be a case of an athlete having a bit of fun at the expense of both media and fans. It is also fair to question how prepared he is to face Dereck Chisora a third time after failed negotiations for a fight with Joshua on relatively short notice failed to materialize and Fury’s potential unification bout with undefeated unified WBA/IBF/IBO/WBO Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, which is said to be aimed for sometime in 2023. 


While it is understandable on one hand given the ups and downs Chisora has gone through in the ring, which tends to be the case for many fighters over a long career as well as his previous two losses to Fury how he is viewed as an underdog going into this fight, Chisora is literally in a position where he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If this is indeed a scenario where the champion having won two previous fights against him is looking ahead to a more lucrative fight, if Chisora is ready for this fight, there may be a surprise.  


How can Chisora pull off a significant upset at a latter point in his career? Having covered the previous two fights there is only one way I can see Chisora having success. He must bring the fight to Fury from the outset and stay on him for however long the bout lasts. There are two important things to consider in this fight, both of which, led to defeat for Chisora in the previous two bouts against the champion. One, Fury is 6’9 and in recent fights has scaled to nearly 280lbs. Despite his height and weight, Fury is also one of the more elusive Heavyweights currently in the sport and has proven to be both difficult to hit and also shown an ability to quickly recover when he has been caught and knocked down most notably in the first and third bouts against Deontay Wilder. Chisora must find a way to get inside Fury’s eighty-five inch reach and do so consistently if he wants to be successful. If the natural advantages Fury has over the 6’1 ½ Chisora are not frustrating enough to combat, Fury is also skilled in the mental aspects of the sport and has shown the ability to goad his opponents into making mistakes during bouts, this was noticeable in the first encounter between these two fighters in particular. Chisora must keep his mind on the task at hand even if he is able to have success in this fight, he must be tactical and not allow Fury to try and bait him into making mistakes. 


While on the surface this fight has an appearance of another title defense for an undefeated world champion against a longtime contender who after a decade of waiting is getting his second opportunity at a world championship at a stage in his career where he might be nearing retirement, both Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora have sizable fan followings and no matter how the odds may appear, a sizable crowd is expected in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England to see the two men renew their rivalry, this time with the WBC’s version of the World Heavyweight championship on the line. 


“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 


Fury vs. Chisora 3 takes place on Saturday, December 3rd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The fight as well as it’s full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 1PM ET/10AM PT (U.S. Time). ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. *Check your local listings internationally.  


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 


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Friday, October 21, 2022

DILLIAN WHYTE RETURNS AGAINST JERMAINE FRANKLIN AT THE OVO ARENA, WEMBLEY ON NOVEMBER 26

Press Release: By DAZN – 21 OCTOBER 2022, LONDON: Dillian Whyte will face undefeated American contender Jermaine Franklin on his highly anticipated return to the ring on Saturday November 26 at the OVO Arena, Wembley, live worldwide on DAZN.
Credit:DAZN 
 
‘The Body Snatcher’ (28-3, 19 Kos) fell short in his challenge for Tyson Fury’s WBC Heavyweight World Title at Wembley Stadium in April, succumbing to a sixth-round stoppage defeat in front of over 90,000 fans. 
 
Brixton’s bit-hitting former Interim WBC Heavyweight World Champion, 35, is set to fight at the OVO Arena, Wembley for the first time in his career as he looks to kickstart his journey towards a second shot at world honours. 
 
Michigan’s Franklin (21-0, 14 Kos) is unbeaten in 21 fights since joining the professional ranks in April 2015 and the 28-year-old will be fighting outside of the USA for the first time in his professional career when he meets Whyte over 12 rounds in London. 
 
Once described as America’s next Heavyweight hope, Franklin ended a two-and-a-half-year layoff by stopping Houston’s Rodney Moore in five rounds at McBride Hall in Gary, Indiana in May to extend his perfect record.
 
An action-packed undercard sees fast-rising Ipswich Heavyweight Fabio Wardley (14-0, 13 Kos) clash with Nantwhich’s Nathan Gorman (19-1, 13 Kos) for the vacant British Title, former WBA Light-Heavyweight World Title challenger Craig Richards (17-3-1, 10 Kos) take on Latvian warrior Ricards Bolotniks (19-6-1, 8 Kos) in an exciting match-up at 175lbs and Derby’s Sandy Ryan (4-1, 2 Kos) challenge Mexico’s Magali Rodriguez (20-6-2, 9 Kos) for her WBC Silver Super-Lightweight Title.
 
Wardley, 27, stopped Simon Vallily in three rounds of their hotly anticipated grudge match to pick up the vacant English Title at Fight Camp in August 2020 before blitzing Nick Webb inside one round to retain the belt a year later at Matchroom’s HQ in Essex.
 
Gorman, whose only loss came at the hands of Daniel Dubois back in July 2019, dusted off 15 months of ringrust in his last fight in June, bulldozing through Tomas Salek in just 81 seconds to win the IBF Intercontinental Title at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
 
Crystal Palace’s Richards put in a spirited display as he pushed WBA Champion Dmitry Bivol all the way in his first World Title attempt in May 2021. ‘Spider’ returned to winning ways by impressively stopping Marek Matyja in six rounds before being outpointed by South London rival Joshua Buatsi at The O2 earlier this year.
 
Bolotniks, who holds wins over Steven Ward and Hosea Burton, will be familiar to UK fight fans following his brave battle with Olympic Bronze Medallist Buatsi at Matchroom’s second instalment of Fight Camp last summer – where he was eventually stopped in the eleventh round of their WBA International Title clash. 
 
Former Team GB star Ryan goes for her second title in the pro ranks after exacting revenge over Erica Anabella Farias – the only woman to beat her – at the Sheffield Arena in August to pick up the vacant WBC International Super-Lightweight Title. 
 
“It’s great to be back, doing what I love doing,” said Whyte. “I can’t wait to get into the ring and show the world that when push comes to shove I can get right back up in Wembley and remind everyone why I was WBC number one for over four years. 

“As an undefeated Heavyweight, Franklin is a dangerous guy but I’m going to teach him quite a few lessons at the OVO on November 26. Most importantly, I’m going to teach him how to lose.”
 
“I’m super hyped to fight in the UK,” said Franklin. “They love boxing and I plan on making a statement when I beat Dillian. I want them to be loud and love my boxing style and have them embrace me as the people’s champ. The world will see the real Jermaine Franklin Jr. 
 
“Dillian is a warrior. He has heart and he’s been with the best. It’s time for him to step aside and let the ‘989 Assassin’ make him body number 22 on my body count. The kind of fight I expect is a brawl. Dillian wants to prove he’s got something left in the tank. I want to show him I’m the future of boxing and for USA Heavyweights. 
 
“When I beat Dillian I want this victory to be followed with a title shot or a major fight to take me to the title. I’m like Holyfield. I’m a warrior. I’m from the hood. You have to take my heart and that will never happen in the ring. I have speed and power. I have no problem taking a punch to land my own. I am America’s next Heavyweight Champion.”
 
“I’m buzzing to be fighting for the British Title, I’ve had my eyes set on this belt for so long and I can’t wait to get my hands on it,” said Wardley. “Nathan Gorman’s a good fighter, but nothing is going to stop me from checking off this next milestone of my career. I thrive under the pressure of big fights like this, I live for it, there’ll be no better feeling than standing over him with my hand raised. I take my opportunities when they come, I’m not going to need any second chances like he did.
 
“I’ve never trained harder, I’ve never been fitter, it’s like the stars have aligned for this camp and everything is coming together perfectly. I’ve come on leaps and bounds with the new addition to my coaching team and I’m technically improving every day. That mixed with my natural athleticism and serious KO power, there’s nothing Nathan can bring to stop me.”
 
“It’s my second opportunity fighting for the British Title, so I’ve got to take it with both hands and this time it isn’t going anywhere other than back home with me,” said Gorman. “It’s against Fabio Wardley, and I know I’ll be facing the best Wardley that has ever entered that ring. Unfortunately for him, that will be met with the best Nathan Gorman, who is improving every second he spends in that gym.
 
“The thing I have that he doesn’t possess is the experience. I’ve already been in there with tougher questions that I have come through and answered, whereas I’m his acid test. It’ll be interesting if he lasts longer than rounds 5 or 6, he has a cut eye, and things aren’t going his way. He isn’t going to be able to match what I bring.”
 
“I’m delighted to welcome one of the biggest stars in Heavyweight boxing Dillian Whyte to the DAZN platform,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. “The Body Snatcher is hungrier than ever after falling short in his first ever World Title challenge earlier this year and he’s jumping straight back in at the deep end against a young and dangerous fighter in Jermaine Franklin. Expect Maximum Violence in an England vs. USA main event.
 
“We’ve got an incredible undercard in store for you at the OVO Arena, Wembley on November 26 including the vacant British Heavyweight Title clash between Fabio Wardley and Nathan Gorman, a brilliant match-up at 175lbs between former World Title challenger Craig Richards and Ricards Bolotniks and Sandy Ryan going for another title against tough Mexican Magali Rodriguez. Catch it all live worldwide on DAZN.”

 “Nathan has made a fantastic comeback this year having had 18-months out, with the quick capture of an IBF Title being proof of that,” said Wasserman’s Head of Global Boxing, Kalle Sauerland. 
 
“Of course, the British Heavyweight Championship is one of the most respected titles in boxing and will propel him on to the world stage even further. We’re very confident Nathan will get the job done on November 26 and set up a HUGE 2023.”
 
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Dillian Whyte, one of the biggest names in Heavyweight boxing, to the platform on November 26,” said Joseph Markowski, CEO DAZN North America. “Jermaine Franklin will be a tough test for Dillian with the fight topping a stacked card full of action-packed matchups including Wardley vs. Gorman, Richards vs. Bolotniks and of course a future star in Sandy Ryan. Do not miss this fight! Live and exclusive and part of your DAZN subscription worldwide.”
 
Ticket details will be released shortly.

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The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.