David Haye backs fellow South Londoner Dillian Whyte to ‘shock the world’ with display against Tyson Fury

David Haye is backing Dillian Whyte to “shock the world” when he steps in the ring with WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury next Saturday.

Brixton’s Whyte is a major underdog heading into the contest at Wembley, with a 94,000 crowd to be in attendance when two of Britain’s stellar big men collide.

Bermondsey-raised Haye, who won world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight, believes that his fellow South Londoner can produce an upset.

“Dillian Whyte is as good as he’ll ever be right now,” Haye, often a pundit for BT Sport, told iFL TV. “This is his opportunity. Everyone is writing him off but he’s one of those guys who will keep coming. Look at his fights with Dereck Chisora, he was losing that [last] fight and pulled one out of the bag. He finds a way to win.

“This is going to be his chance and I think he’s going to shock the world.

“Dillian, with his style and kick-boxing history against some big guys in K1, is a real physical specimen. I sparred him when he first turned professional, he was a novice then but he was very, very effective. He has long arms, probably two or three inches longer than they should be, and that makes it harder to judge the distance. I couldn’t judge that in the first minute I sparred with him. With 10-ounce gloves on you don’t have time to judge – that error in distance can be the difference between getting knocked down or knocked out.”

Whyte has not boxed since stopping Alexander Povetkin in four rounds in March 2021.

Asked if his inactivity could be a factor in the Fury fight, Haye said: “It could be. The fact Tyson Fury has been very regular in his training camps means he is coming with momentum. But Dillian stays in shape and is the consummate professional. I don’t think it will make too much of a difference.

“They are both in their physical prime. Dillian has learned lessons from the first Povetkin fight and come back stronger. I see that as similar to when Lennox Lewis lost to Oliver McCall. He got caught with a shot, it happens.

“Dillian has got to look out for the uppercut. Oscar Rivas, Joseph Parker and AJ [Anthony Joshua] hurt him with the uppercut. He needs to understand that one of Tyson Fury’s best weapons is his uppercut. I’m sure him and his team know that. That’s the danger for Dillian Whyte – Tyson Fury’s bolo uppercuts.”