Dillian Whyte looks to re-establish himself in heavyweight division in Gib main event bout

In his second fight in Gibraltar, heavyweight boxer Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte is looking to re-launch himself to the top of heavyweight boxing.

The 36-year-old with a professional record of 30 wins, with 20 of those coming by way of knockout, and just three losses, will share the squared circle with Ebenezer Tetteh in a 10-round main event bout during a night of boxing on December 15 at the Europa Sports Complex.

In an interview with the Chronicle ahead of the fight, Whyte said he wants to return to the top of the heavyweight division where he belongs.

“I want the big fights; I want to get back to my rightful position where I belong, I’ve worked and strived all these years.”

“Obviously the setbacks have been a bit annoying, but I have a fighting chance again which is what I’ve always wanted.”

“I want the big fights but I understand it’s a step by step situation.”

He hopes a win will propel him into contention for a rematch with well-known British heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury who he previously lost to.

“I want a rematch with AJ (Athony Joshua), I want to fight Fury again, those are the only two guys I’ve lost to that I haven’t avenged.”

He added that he feels good ahead of the fight, which he doubts will go the distance.

“I’ve trained well, as well as I could have trained in five weeks, I feel good.”

“I’m fit, I’m ready to go and I’m in a very aggressive state of mind at the minute.”

“I’m fighting for my career again.”

“I feel like it’s 2016, 2015 all over again, when I was fighting Anthony Joshua.”

“I feel like that moment of time when I was fighting to show people who I am, fighting to show people that I’m a contender, fighting to show people that I can be a good heavy weight, I feel like it’s that moment over again.”

Having won two thirds of his fight by way of knockout, he aims to give fans in attendance value for money comes Sunday night.

“Whenever I step in the ring, I honestly try to knock someone out,” he said.

“Sometimes I try a bit too hard, but I just try to knock someone out.”

“I just try and give value for money, and I want to win fights by KO.”

In assessing his opponent, he expects a hungry and motivated fighter.

“He's a big guy, he's a heavyweight, and I think he's a little bit taller than me so there's all this reach and stuff.”

“His only loss is against the current heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.”

“What I’m excited about is that he lost and went on and got other victories, it shows he is a serious guy, he likes to win and wants to win.”

But he doubled down on his own ability and power in finishing the job.

“He’s a big guy, if he comes and he starts standing in front of me and starts trading trying to get me out of there, then I’m like a honey badger, I will go for the kill.”

He added that he sees similarities in his opponent to himself.

“He’s coming from a place of poverty, he’s coming from Ghana in Africa, so he knows if he beats me it changes his life, so he’s going to be very hungry.”

“I come from a similar background, I come from poverty too, so we can relate.”

“And when you’re fighting for more than just fame and glory and you’re fighting for food and hunger and you’re trying to change your family’s life it makes you a vey tough and hard guy to defeat.”

The occasion will be the second in which Whyte has brought his knockout-power to Gibraltar, the first being during the pandemic where he avenged his shock loss to Alexander Povetkin.

He added that this was one of the most memorable moments of his career, and that returning to the Rock made sense.

“It was one of the most special moments of my career, because at the time I was coming off a defeat, a knockout defeat to Povetkin.”

“And it was Covid and it was one of the only places, the Covid rates were low here and they allowed us to have I think it was 500 fans, it was one of  the most memorable moments of my career because of the covid circumstances and then I got the victory as well against a guy who I’d just lost to.”

“We came, got it done in fashion.”

“I know a lot of people here, got good connections here as well, so it just makes sense.”