Dillian Whyte showed that he’d “sacrificed” a lot in training by coming in at 244.5 lbs at today’s weigh-in for his 12-round bout against the #1-ranked WBO heavyweight contender Moses Itauma this Saturday, August 16th, in Riyadh. The weight for Whyte was the lowest in 10 years since 2015.
Sacrifice and Serious Training
“With that weight, it shows that he sacrificed a lot as well as trained hard,” said trainer Andy Lee to DAZN Boxing, talking about the 244 1/2 lbs that Dillian Whyte weighed in today for his headliner against Moses Itauma on Saturday. “He took this fight very seriously.
Whyte came in 17 lbs lighter for this fight than the 261 he weighed for his last bout against Ebenezer Tetteh last December. He knows he couldn’t afford to come into this contest against Itauma heavy like he’d done for his last four fights.
Whyte’s Underdog Strategy
“I like the way he’s approached the fight, downplaying himself and relishing the underdog role. I don’t buy into it. I don’t believe it. I think he’s coming to fight,” Lee said about Whyte. “He admitted himself that he wasn’t in the best of shape for his last fight. He didn’t train. ‘I was just taking the fight.’”
Dillian didn’t want to put pressure on himself by talking a lot of trash against Itauma, because he’d look silly if he didn’t measure up to all the things he said. Fans would have taken Whyte seriously if he had bragged about himself because he hasn’t looked good in a long time. His last impressive performance was four years ago in his rematch with Alexander Povetkin in 2021.
“He doesn’t need any more motivation than the challenge that he has in front of him. It’s a chance to put himself back in a title shot place if he wins tomorrow night,” said Lee about Whyte.
‘Wounded Animal’ is Dangerous
If Dillian beats #1 WBO Itauma, he could take his spot in the rankings and put himself in position to challenge for a world title against Oleksandr Usyk.
“He’s coming to win. He’s coming for more than this,” said commentator Ade Oladipo about Dillian.
“He’s in with somebody that as he describes it is a ‘wounded animal.’ A wounded animal is dangerous,” said promoter Frank Warren about Whyte.
Last Updated on 08/15/2025
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