Heavyweight Dillian Whyte knows plenty about big time fights in professional boxing and has weighed in on some strange news.
The fact IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (who viciously knocked out Anthony Joshua recently) would challenge Jake Paul shows how much money and audience Jake Paul brings to boxing, and, how much Paul is growing the sport in some ways too.
But to actually fight Dubois would end quickly of course. Speaking to Talk Sport Dillian Whyte said:
“Host: And heavyweight boxer Dillian Whyte, good morning!
Dillian: Morning, guys. How are you?
Host: We’re really good, mate. Look, we’ll talk about your upcoming fight in just a moment, but first, can we get your reaction to the news this morning? Daniel Dubois has reportedly challenged Jake Paul to a fight. What do you make of that?Dillian: [Laughter] You know what? I like Jake Paul; I respect what he’s doing for boxing. But this is getting ridiculous now. I understand why Daniel is challenging him—it would probably be Daniel’s biggest payday so far. As funny as it may sound, even though Jake Paul is a YouTuber, it would still be Daniel’s biggest payday. That said, Jake would get destroyed.
Host: Yeah, that’s the truth, isn’t it? Jake’s not going to step in the ring with a proper professional boxer at this point.
Dillian: No, he’s not. It’s strange because, Jeff and I have been discussing this all morning, and I was really disappointed with what happened over the weekend. But on the flip side, we’ve got to give credit to the women—Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. They put on an incredible show.
Host: Absolutely.
Dillian: Look, I think Jake Paul is doing great things for boxing in his own way. He’s sticking with real fights, and he’s bringing new fans to the sport. A lot of these new fans might not even know who Mike Tyson is. But because of Jake, they’ll look him up, and then they’ll discover other legendary fighters. Eventually, some of these casual fans will become hardcore boxing fans. They’ll start understanding the difference between exhibition matches and real professional bouts. So, in the long run, it’s good for the sport.
Host: Yeah, good points. Alright, Dillian, let’s talk about you and your fight. You’re back in the ring on December 15th in Gibraltar. I guess this is a pretty obvious question, but do you view every fight as a must-win at this stage of your career?
Dillian: Absolutely. It feels like when I was just starting out, where every fight was crucial. To get back to the big leagues and be a serious contender again, I’ve got to beat these guys. My opponent this time is a solid boxer with only one loss, and that loss was to Daniel Dubois, the current champion. He’s had a few wins since then, so he’s no pushover. He’s a big guy—about 6’5” and 18 or 19 stone—so I’m taking him seriously. But I’m looking forward to putting on a show and bringing some real violence back to the ring.
Host: If you get the result you’re expecting, what’s next? Would you look at a rematch with AJ (Anthony Joshua)?
Dillian: I’d love to fight AJ. We’ve got unfinished business, in my opinion. He’s said he wants to fight me, and I want to fight him. But first, I need to deal with this guy on December 15th. After that, I want to fight all the top guys. That’s always been my goal throughout my career. If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll take it.
Host: How hard is it for you to secure the big fights you want?
Dillian: It’s always been tough. When Deontay Wilder was champion, I chased him for three years. I was the number one contender for a long time, but nothing materialized. People can say whatever they want about me, but I always come to fight. Win, lose, or draw, if you’re fighting me, you’re in for a tough night. That’s a risk some fighters don’t want to take.
Host: Speaking of big fights, there’s the massive rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on the 21st. What’s your take on how that could go?
Dillian: Personally, I think Fury needs to approach Usyk the way he fought Steve Cunningham—a cruiserweight with fast hands and feet. Fury should use his size, rush him, and impose his weight. That’s probably his best chance of winning. But Fury is unpredictable; every time people count him out, he proves them wrong.
On the other hand, Usyk is a tough opponent. He’s a stylistic genius, very skilled, and knows how to adapt against all types of fighters. It’s going to be an interesting matchup.
Host: Well, Dillian, best of luck on December 15th. We hope to see you back at the top soon!
Dillian: Thanks, guys. God bless.
Host: That was Dillian Whyte, who will be back in action on December 15th in Gibraltar. He’s always a great guy to talk to and a real warrior in the ring.”
In a way, it has been absolutely genius what Jake Paul has been able to do for himself, in other ways, it is very sad seeing him beat old people basically.
That said, as soon as he goes in there with any professional boxer near the top ten even, in any weight division, in any of the rankings, near any division relatively near his weight, that is it for him.
He appears to be going to a boxing safety-first style at the moment as he settles into his professional boxing style now, Paul. He took it easy on Tyson down the stretch.
On the other side of the coin, too, Paul has been able to get a lot of boxers big opportunities on his cards and events and along with many around the world, there are many others — is currently growing the sport to new audiences all the time.
