British heavyweights of recent times have been an enigmatic lot, even by the fight game’s standards. Dillian Whyte, who knows a spectacular win over Joseph Parker in London on Saturday night would catapult him towards the level of celebrity enjoyed by Anthony Joshua, has much to live up to.
Leaving Tyson Fury in an altogether different category of weirdness, David Haye never quite survived the “toe incident” or his stage-managed flash, saying goodbye as a misunderstood loser; his conqueror, Anthony Bellew, has grown into the role of credible and articulate champion from “fat little Scouser”, as he describes himself; and the ever-smiling Joshua, rescued from petty teenage crime by a business that has made him the richest practitioner in the division, will be the shining, marketable star of the new generation – as long as he keeps winning.
On Friday Joshua stole the thunder of Whyte and Parker when it was announced he had extended his promotional deal with Matchroom by three years, an arrangement that greatly pleases Sky Sports.
But Whyte? It is harder to say. The street survivor who has been shot once, stabbed three times and knocked senseless by a Joshua uppercut, can be a brooding presence, who brings with him a Brixton posse and bags of attitude but also an understated intelligence and vulnerability. If he loses, he falls off the edge of the map.
Whyte falls somewhere between Haye and Dereck Chisora, another British heavyweight who is mouthy and still dangerous, but also something of a charmer. All have a past. Whyte’s challenge is to ensure he has got a future.
If Whyte can do to the rock-jawed Parker at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night what Joshua could not do at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in March – and knock the New Zealander out – it will be impossible for his peers to ignore him.
His pay-per-view 12-rounder against Parker – who took Joshua the distance for the first time in 21 fights – is more than just an international headliner on Matchroom’s Sky Box Office show. It is an audition for either a rematch with Joshua – providing the Watford man beats Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Stadium in September – or a calling card to fights against Tyson or Hughie Fury, or the WBC champion, Deontay Wilder.
This is a fight that does not need a title, although there are the requisite baubles attached: the WBC silver belt and the WBO’s International title.
Ringside after knocking out the unbeaten Australian Lucas Browne in this ring four months ago, Whyte screamed across the ocean to Wilder: “Do it! Do it! Let’s go! I’m ready. Let’s get it, Deontay. No excuses. Forget Joshua. Joshua ain’t gonna be ready in time. I’m No 1 baby!”
This is not a man of reticence or self-doubt. But the American has gone another route. “They ain’t but one king,” he said. “And the king don’t chase peasants.” The unspoken truth is he did not want to risk the mega-millions of a Joshua fight by taking on the unpredictable Whyte.
When Joshua and Wilder stalled in negotiations, there was only one fight for Whyte, and that was against Parker. It had an internal logic that was undeniable, and undenied by all parties. Parker, a former world champion with his own ambitions, wants it as much as Whyte does, and that adds the necessary degree of commitment to a fight that might not otherwise be heading a pay-per-view bill.
So here they are – and there is every chance they will deliver the heavyweight fight of the year. “I’m going with Dillian,” Joshua said, “and by knockout, as well. Dillian ain’t got nothing to lose. He’s been screaming at world champions and I feel he wants to prove himself. Parker can take a shot but I feel Dillian’s going to go in guns blazing. He’ll secure the win – and get that world title shot.”
At Friday’s weigh-in Whyte was 18st 6lb, a couple of pounds heavier than for Browne, and just over a stone bigger than Parker. Whyte tried to stare down his opponent at close quarters and Parker did a lot of smiling.
“That’s the first time I’ve been nose to nose with someone,” the scarily calm Parker said. “It was interesting. I feel good. All the talking has been done. I’m looking forward to getting in the ring and letting my hands go.”
He did not do that often enough against Joshua, and there is a suspicion that Whyte has improved his boxing, fitness and energy levels so much that he will not allow Parker room to do his best work. It should make for a fierce collision, with Whyte getting a late stoppage.
