WHILE Dillian Whyte claims that he has not stepped on the scales since last December, his leaner physique would suggest that his weight has moved, if at all, in only one direction.
The 37-year-old is finalising his training camp ahead of a bold but lucrative risk against Moses Itauma, who enters their heavyweight showdown next Saturday as a sizable favourite.
Their encounter, which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will see Whyte, 31-3 (21 KOs), return to action for the first time since his seventh-round stoppage victory over Ebenezer Tetteh.
Back then, the former world title challenger hit the scales at just a shade over 261lbs, before producing a largely pedestrian performance against his brave but limited opponent.
It just so happens, too, that, according to Whyte, his weigh-in towards the end of 2024 was the last time that a measurement for his weight had been recorded.
Several months later, ‘The Body Snatcher’ was then set to collide with Joe Joyce, a fellow heavyweight veteran, before pulling out of their contest due to an injury.
As a result, it will have been just over eight months – on August 16, that is – since Whyte last stepped through the ropes, whereas Itauma, 12-0 (10 KOs), on the other hand, orchestrated a two-round demolition job against Mike Balogun last May.
But despite his lack of activity in recent years, Whyte nonetheless seems to have whipped himself into shape and, in doing so, appears to be taking his next assignment particularly seriously.
His weight, however, has hardly represented a point of interest in Portugal where, under the tutelage of head coach Buddy McGirt, Whyte has seemingly afforded himself the best possible chance to pull off an almighty upset against Itauma.
“I’ve just been cracking on, man,” Whyte told Boxing News during a media roundtable.
“I’ve just been focusing on giving Buddy [McGirt] what he needs, what he wants to see and how he wants to see it.
“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.”
