Two respected British boxers with knockout power, one the greatest heavyweight of his era, battling in front of roughly 94,000 boisterous fans at Wembley Stadium in London, England?
You couldn’t really ask for a better setting for Tyson Fury’s title defence against Dillian Whyte, a fight Fury says will be the final one of his illustrious boxing career.
“I'm getting out healthy and in one piece. Undefeated,” Fury, 33, told reporters this week. “Tune in now because you're never going to get to see (me) in action again after this. This is it.”
It’s always best to take a prizefighter’s retirement talk with a grain of salt since we so often see fighters change their tune depending on how the sport’s landscape shifts…or how many zeros get added to a proposed fight purse.
However, if it does end up as Fury’s final outing then boxing fans won’t want to miss the spectacle that’ll take place Saturday afternoon for those in North America.
The undercard is underwhelming although Tommy Fury is in action looking to remain unbeaten when he takes on Poland’s Daniel Bocianski. Fury, 22, is the half-brother of Tyson Fury and a potential future opponent of Jake Paul.
OK, now back to the main event.
A Fury victory, if it didn’t lead to retirement, could set up an anticipated blockbuster with either Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk. The pair of Olympic gold medallists are expected to meet later this year in a rematch of a September 2021 fight that saw Usyk earn a unanimous decision.
A hypothetical fight between Fury and Joshua would be box office gold, while a Fury-Usyk encounter would garner major intrigue since it would be an undisputed and lineal heavyweight championship bout.
With notable career wins over Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker among others, Whyte a.k.a. “The Body Snatcher” hopes to spoil the party.
TYSON FURY vs. DILLIAN WHYTE BETTING ODDS
Fury to win -450 | Whyte to win +350 | Draw +2500
Fury by stoppage -125 | Whyte by stoppage +450
Fury by decision +240 | Whyte by decision +2200
OVER 8.5 rounds -125 | UNDER 8.5 rounds -110
This line opened with Fury as -650 chalk but has since crept Whyte’s direction. Fury closed as a -225 favourite for his trilogy bout with Wilder. Even though Wilder has a better resume than Whyte and is considered the more dangerous knockout artist, Whyte is a more experienced and perhaps more well-rounded fighter than Wilder.
He’s the clear underdog for a reason but shouldn’t be dismissed as an automatic win for Fury, unlike some of Fury’s past contracted challengers.
Whyte (28-2, 19 knockouts) is 6-foot-4 and tipped the scales at 253 pounds. He carries natural power and his clubbing left hand has rendered many men unconscious. Whyte avenged a 2020 knockout loss to Alexander Povetkin by returning the favour with a massive left hook 13 months ago.
The 34-year-old hasn’t fought since that win, though. How much will ring rust be a factor and might it impact Whyte’s conditioning?
Fury (31-0-1, 22 knockouts) tends not to gas out. The champ is coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Deontay Wilder and a lengthy training camp in preparation for Whyte has him weighing 13 pounds less than he did for his third fight with Wilder.
Even though Fury has trimmed down since last year, “The Gypsy King” stands 6-foot-9, 264 pounds and towers over his orthodox opponent.
Whyte has shown a knack for turning boxing matches into fights, so to speak, and that’s his best chance against Fury who should be expecting that type of aggression.
A short uppercut or looping left hand from Whyte can change the momentum in a split second if he were to gain inside position and land flush on Fury.
Fury can look to use his silky footwork to keep his opponent at the end of his punches. The longer the fight goes the more Fury’s cardio and seven-inch reach advantage will come into play.
The pair have trained together in the past and hold mutual respect as evidenced by the dearth of animosity during fight week and at Friday’s weigh-ins.
Despite the relative lack of trash talk, the style matchup offers plenty of intrigue.
If you’re betting the total rounds… Keep in mind seven of Fury’s past 10 fights and six of Whyte’s past 10 have gone into the eighth round. Oddsmakers are not projecting this fight to go the distance with -250 odds that this one ends without requiring the judges.
If you’re leaning Whyte… You’ll get great value if the underdog pulls off the upset regardless of how specific you get. Whyte outpointing Fury for a decision is highly unlikely but you can boost Whyte’s odds slightly by calling a stoppage. Whyte was given equal odds to finish the fight in the first six rounds or in the final six rounds (both props listed at +1000).
If you’re leaning Fury… You’ll need to pick a method to get value. You’ll want the champ to collect data on his opponent in the early rounds to make his risk assessment. If he doesn’t feel any threat from Whyte, or once Whyte begins to slow down in the later rounds, then you can expect Fury to turn up the heat and go for the finish.
Whyte has proven durable throughout his career but both of his losses have been by mid-round stoppage. The Fury by stoppage in rounds 4-6 prop bet has +500 odds and Fury by stoppage in rounds 7-9 has +375 odds attached to it.
Fury hasn’t competed in England since his comeback fight against Sefer Seferi in 2018 nearly three years after winning Wladimir Klitschko’s titles before stepping away from the sport.
Going out with a stoppage win in front of nearly 100K would be the perfect way to bookend the remarkable final chapter of Fury’s career.
Betting odds above via Bet365
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