Dillian Whyte has shared details about the potential fights he was offered before agreeing to face undefeated heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma.
The 37-year-old Brit secured a stoppage victory against Ebenezer Tetteh last December, though the performance was widely seen as underwhelming, raising questions about his current form and standing in the heavyweight division.
Despite the doubts stemming from that outing, the former interim world champion has landed a significant, and potentially career-defining, opportunity against the explosive young talent Itauma.
The fight is set to take place on August 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, headlining a card put together by boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh.
While the clash with Itauma (who holds a perfect record) is confirmed, Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) revealed that two other major options were presented to him beforehand.
One possibility was a rematch with former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs). Joshua`s future remains uncertain following his recent defeat to Daniel Dubois in September, and his next opponent has not yet been announced.
Another potential rematch for Whyte was against New Zealander Joseph Parker, who recently defeated Zhilei Zhang. However, Whyte claims that financial disagreements prevented the fight from happening, stating Parker`s demands were too high.
Explaining his decision to ultimately face Itauma, who is widely considered a dangerous opponent that other contenders avoid, Whyte indicated it aligns with his history of taking on tough challenges.
“I got offered three names: AJ, Parker and Moses Itauma,” Whyte told Sky Sports.
“These guys were messing about. Parker was being greedy – they didn`t want to be realistic on the split. AJ wasn`t ready – obviously they`re trying to keep their options open – but I`m options for no one.”
Whyte added, “I think Moses Itauma, no one wants to fight him. I`ve always taken the fights that no one wanted to take, and nothing`s changed now. Everyone`s scared of him, all these other supposed hard man heavyweights who pride themselves on being hard fighting anyone, they`re running scared from fighting this guy.”
