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Dillian Whyte out to prove why he is one of the most avoided men in boxing

Dillian-Whyte
Dillian Whyte

Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte 26-1 (18) eager to remind people why he is one of the most avoided men in boxing when he returns to the ring against Mariusz Wach 35-5 (19) over 10 rounds at Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia this Saturday night.

The fight on the Andy Ruiz Jr-Anthony Joshua bill will be his first outing since outpointing Oscar Rivas in July.

“I’ve had three weeks’ notice for this fight, obviously. Ideally, I would like more time for this fight,” Whyte said Sky Sports following Tuesday’s public workout.

“But I’ve been using the gym and training through this time as a distraction, so I’m good and ready.

“I’m grateful to be back and to show people the level I am because I could have come back to a much easier opponent considering what’s been going on and what I’ve been through.

“But I said ‘I need someone decent, who’s going to give me a few rounds and give me a bit of a tester’ and Marius Wach, he’s a tall guy, a tough guy, he’s got a very good jab, a very, very good jab, that’s one thing he does well, he does jab well.”

The 31-year-old Londoner was the WBC number one contender for more than 600 days but only became the designated mandatory contender with his victory over Rivas – a result marred by his “adverse finding” in a UK Anti-Doping test conducted prior to the fight.

The WBC suspended his mandatory status pending the resolution of the situation.

Whyte admits he considered turning his back on the sport before his family talked him out of it.

“I’m just looking to get in there and do what I do. I’ve been out for a while, it’s been a tough time, a hard time, I’ve thought about walking away from boxing,” he said.

“I was going to walk away a few times, I said ‘you know what, I’ve had enough’ but my mum, my brothers and people around me said ‘don’t give up, don’t give in, you’ve worked too hard.'”

This weekend Whyte will be looking for an explosive win to remind fighters, fans and pundits alike that he’s still here and ready to take on all challengers.

“I’m a dangerous operator,” he said. “Everyone says I’m slow and cumbersome, I’m not a very good boxer, I’m slow, I’m not coordinated but no-one wants to fight me, and I’ve been No.1 and mandatories for such a long time, so I don’t understand.”