'Risk-taker' Whyte confident of springing Itauma upset

Dillian Whyte admits he is 'taking a risk' by squaring off with undefeated heavyweight Moses Itauma this Saturday – but the veteran also believes he is capable of springing a seismic shock.

Whyte, 37, is at the twilight of an impressive boxing career which has seen him mix it with many of his generation's best fighters, including Tyson Fury, Jospeh Parker and Anthony Joshua.

This weekend, he comes in as a whopping 15/2 underdog against fellow Brit Itauma, who is 17 years his junior and was dubbed as The Ring Magazine's Prospect of the Year in 2024.

Itauma possesses devastating power and is no bigger than 2/7 to earn a stoppage victory over Whyte – something he has achieved in 10 of his 12 professional bouts to date.

But Whyte, who has seen the highs and lows of the sport during his extensive career, is not fearful heading into the RIyadh contest.

He said: “Today, Moses is the next Mike Tyson. He is great, amazing and they talk about him fighting [Oleksandr] Usyk.

"Saturday, I go in there, he does his thing, I catch him and blow him up. Then what? People say he’s not good any more?

"My mindset is no-one wants to fight Moses, he is a great fighter – young, sharp and full of beans. But you have to believe in yourself and take risks.

“That is what my life is all about. Showing people, my family and my kids, and people in general, that you have to take risks to get to places.

"I ain’t got nothing to lose. What have I got to lose? I’m a nobody. I’m being compared to a journeyman in the 90s and 80s, he is being compared to Mike Tyson."

Pictures from fight week media duties have shown Whyte to be in outstanding physical shape, hinting he has taken preparations for the bout particularly seriously.

Working alongside trainer Buddy McGirt, the Body Snatcher admits his strong condition is a bi-product of letting his team lead the planning.

Whyte explained: "I’ve been listening to the team. They’ve been around me a long time, so I’ve learned to just do what they ask, because they probably know me more than I know myself.

"They’re monitoring me daily, so if they say; ‘Don’t go to the gym today’, I’m gonna sit down. If they say, ‘Do more’, I’m gonna do more. But I haven’t stepped on the scales since last December, since my last fight [a victory over Ebenezer Tetteh]."

Punters who fancy Whyte to spring a surprise can back him at a standout 15/2 with BetMGM, LiveScore Bet and Unibet, while a KO victory for the veteran is 10/1 comparted with a cards success priced at 25/1.