Dillian Whyte has been on the cusp of a world boxing title for a long time, but that’s not the only sport the 32 year old believes he could conquer.
Whyte is due a shot at Tyson Fury’s WBC heavyweight belt after the Gypsy King’s trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder, providing he overcomes Alexander Povetkin in the future, presumably.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom
Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin was slated for July this year.
Whyte, 27-1 in his career, with his sole loss coming against WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion and compatriot, Anthony Joshua.
But before boxing, Whyte fought in kickboxing and MMA and successfully so.
Whyte won 20 of his kickboxing fights and suffered just one defeat. His only MMA fight ended in a knockout victory after just 12 seconds.
Speaking to The Sun, Whyte says he could knock out any of the top 10 heavyweights in UFC right now, and that includes Francis Ngannou and champion Stipe Miocic.
“I have not trained in kickboxing or MMA for a while but, for me, it is like riding a bike,” he said.
“Once I knock off some of the rust, my instincts come rushing back and I am ready to dominate again.
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Dillian Whyte has been in line for a shot at the WBC title for years now
“The heavyweight guys over there, champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, are elite and I would have to work on my grappling and wrestling.
“But I know, standing up and boxing in 4oz gloves, I could knock ANY of their top-ten heavyweights out.”
“In these cages it is five-minute rounds of non-stop moving, kicking, punching, wrestling — it is no joke. But I have better hand skills than any of them and because they try to cover a lot of aspects, that leaves a lot of holes in their game.”
The Body Snatcher has talked about crossing over in the past and has specifically spoken about Ngannou, a man known as a big puncher in UFC.
Whyte clearly watches UFC and believes the way that Ngannou has lost in the past not only makes him a coward, but gives Whyte confidence that he could beat him.
Francis Ngannou continues to train amid the COVID-19 outbreak – despite his fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik getting postponed
“I have called Ngannou a coward because, for a guy who is 6-foot-4 and 18st, he has not shown enough heart in his two defeats.
“He was on a ten-fight win streak, mostly first-round wins against journeymen, and as soon as he stepped up he lost twice, when people did not just stand there and let him hit them.
“Ngannou said he would fancy a boxing match but I notice he didn’t mention my name even after I publicly called him a coward. Says it all really.
“However, I like the sound of stepping over to the UFC, seeing what sort of deal could be done. Becoming heavyweight champion in both is something no one has ever come close to doing before.”
talkSPORT
Dillian Whyte believes he could be the first man to become a champion in both boxing and MMA
Crossover athletes have seldom worked out all the way from Michael Jordan all the way to Conor McGregor, but it must be said that Whyte has some real credentials to back up what he is saying in regards to his own abilities.
With a good team around him and serious training, who knows what Whyte could go on to achieve.
First things first, though, he’ll want to have a shot at a boxing world title – a shot many fans believe is way overdue.
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