‘The Bodysnatcher’s trademark howl may echo for the final time as one world-class trainer believes Dillian Whyte stands very little chance against Moses Itauma.
Dillian Whyte’s career has plummeted dramatically in recent years. After waiting for over a year to get his shot at the world title, ‘The Bodysnatcher’ squandered his opportunity against Tyson Fury, falling victim to the same shot that had been his downfall twice before.
After a 16-month hiatus, Whyte has been clawing his way up to the top once more, and, following two wins over gatekeeper low-level opponents, has his chance against Moses Itauma.
Itauma, meanwhile, has yet to be tested. The 20-year-old sensation has stopped almost every man he’s had in front of him, but has not yet been pushed, hurt, or forced to dig deep.
Whyte could pose issues for Itauma that he’s not been faced with before, though one world-class trainer believes it’ll be Itauma asking the questions of the Whyte.
Dave Coldwell believes ‘buzzsaw’ Moses Itauma will beat Dillian Whyte
In an interview with Pro Boxing Fans, Dave Coldwell spoke about the upcoming fight: “I think timing is everything in boxing. I just think the timing, if you look at the trajectory of both fighters […] I just think everything is stacked in Moses’ favor.”
“If you add Moses’ style, he’s not a plod-on, he’s not a ‘I’m gonna grind you down’ kind of fighter. He’s very sharp, triggers, makes you react, fires your brain, makes you open yourself up with your reactions because his feints are very, very good.”
Coldwell, who was the trainer of Tony Bellew, expanded on why that kind of fighter is not what Whyte needs at this point in his career,
“For a fighter who’s been inactive, and for a fighter who is at the latter end of their career, it’s not the kind of fight that you want. You don’t want these buzzsaws. You kind of want someone that’s going to be in front of you and methodical, maybe you can, as the rounds go on, fight your way into the fight.”
“With Moses’ style, he could be landing some bombs, sharp bombs, that do a lot of damage to Dillian, early doors, so that he can’t get into the fight.”
Coldwell concluded, “I would be very surprised if Dillian were to pull it off.”
Coldwell may well be right, as Whyte’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, claimed he has never seen Itauma fight.
Despite being written off by many, though, Whyte has faith he can defeat Itauma.
Dillian Whyte has been dropped by two men who couldn’t beat him
Though Whyte has suffered three defeats in his career – to Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Alexander Povetkin, two other men have dropped the Brit but were unable to capitalize on their moments of success.
In 2018, following his big KO over Lucas Browne, Whyte faced Joseph Parker. ‘The Bodysnatcher’ dropped Parker in the second and ninth rounds, but encountered some serious danger in the final round, as Parker landed a shot on the top of Whyte’s head, sending him crashing to the canvas.
With seconds left to go in the round, a shaky Whyte was forced to cling on and survive the remainder of the round.
Had the knockdown been earlier in the round, Parker may have found the chance for a stoppage, but on that night in 2018, Whyte triumphed over the New Zealander.
Two fights later, in 2019, Whyte faced Oscar Rivas, who dramatically dropped the Jamaican-British fighter in the ninth round.
He recovered, and pushed Rivas the distance, picking up a unanimous decision victory.
Whilst these examples are six or more years ago, they do show Whyte’s ability to rise off the canvas and emerge victorious, something that may well prove to be a useful tool in his arsenal against Itauma.