Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte: Betting Preview
This Saturday, for what will surely be considered the most anticipated fight of the year, London’s Wembley Stadium will come alive with 94,000 fired-up spectators when Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte go toe-to-toe. The two decorated heavyweights will be fighting for, not one, but two heavyweight titles.
Tyson Fury is a man who needs no introduction, having become arguably the biggest name in modern boxing – and now, having announced his impending retirement at the conclusion of this fight. But even this formidable heavyweight incumbent isn’t without a worthy opponent, and he’s about to face a stiff challenge against Dillian Whyte, the fighter who earned himself the nickname The Bodysnatcher.
The odds are always hot off the press here at the Bodog sportsbook, as are the previews for the big event, and some key undercard fights worthy of a closer look. Just days out from the big showdown, we take a fresh look at what we can expect to see at Wembley as Fury v Whyte betting is circling the ring and waiting for its pound of heavyweight flesh.
Fury vs Whyte: The Lowdown
One bout; two titles. The fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte will end with one of the two champs earning topdog status in both the WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles. At present, these both belong to Fury, though Whyte holds the WBC interim heavyweight championship.
When it comes to fame – or infamy, depending on who you ask – Fury is already the frontrunner, having become a household name thanks to consequential fights with Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. Put him side-by-side with Whyte on paper, though, and the two brawlers are surprisingly well-matched.
Each follows a similar, orthodox style of boxing in the ring; they’ve competed in roughly the same number of fights during their careers (Fury’s 32 times to Whyte’s 30). Fury is undefeated (with one draw) in that time, while Whyte has lost only two of his matches. They’ve also managed a similar knockout rate, with Fury on 22 and Whyte on 19.
And, both being Brits, they’ll be fighting on home soil, free from jet lag and fresh from their creature comforts. Whyte could stroll in the Wembley gates from his London home, and even northerner Fury’s Lancashire coast home is a relatively breezy highway journey to the capital.
The physical differences between the two are more notable: Whyte is shorter at 6 ft 4 in (193cms) vs Fury’s 6 ft 9 in (206cms), and has 7cms less reach, giving Fury the edge in stature, and the natural psychological advantage of looking down at one’s opponent.
Whyte had been keeping a low profile in the run-up to their much-awaited showdown, even so far as sitting out the event’s first press conference on March 1, before engaging in the kinds of obligatory, pre-fight war of words that threaten to devolve into “yo’ mama” jibes in the absence of cooler heads. Perhaps setting the tone for the fight, Whyte proved he was no shrinking violet this week by comparing Fury’s mouth to a toilet that “keeps on flushing and flushing and flushing”. Fans, of course, are hoping that neither puts a lid on it until the match is called.
Despite the interim champ’s sudden brashness, and a fight record that less experienced boxers would give their prefrontal cortex for, Whyte is the underdog in this fight by a large margin. The current Fury v Whyte odds give “The Gypsy King” -650, while “The Body Snatcher” is currently on +415.
Featherweight Fight: Isaac Lowe vs Nick Ball
Fury vs Whyte might be hogging all the attention, but there are seven more bouts on the undercard that are bound to be just as intense.
The battle between Isaac Lowe and Nick Ball is once again an all-British pairing, but this one is for the currently vacant WBC Silver featherweight title.
Lowe, who happens to call Tyson Fury a friend, had been undefeated until last December when he was KOed in the seventh round in his stoush with Luis Alberto Lopez.
Ball, who is from Liverpool, remains undefeated over 14 bouts since he started his career back in 2017. While that’s the sort of record that indicates a powerhouse fighter, it’s not unfair to say that a good portion of those matches were against fighters with weak records, and he has yet to prove himself in the ring against someone of Lowe’s calibre.
If Ball did bring what it takes to beat Lowe on Saturday, it would go a long way to assuage doubts around his abilities in the ring, but he won’t find it easy. Lowe, the “Westwage Warrior”, is five inches (13 cm) taller than Ball, and he has a longer reach which gives him the upper hand, as well as odds of -145 against Ball’s +110.
Breaking: Super Featherweight Fight: Anthony Cacace vs Jonatan Romero has been cancelled
As the top undercard fight on the Fury-Whyte ticket, Brit Anthony Cacace and Colombian Jonatan Romero had been scheduled to spar in the super featherweight division. In news just in, the shock cancellation just three days out has rocked no-one more than Cacace himself. According to official statements, Romero was unable to enter the UK owing to issues with his Visa, and, unsurprisingly, no replacement could be found at such a late hour.
Cacace, hailing from Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast, has held the BBBOFC British super featherweight belt since late 2019 after going all 12 rounds against Sam Bowen and beating him on a split decision. Although he wasn’t set to defend it this time around, the impact of the cancellation has clearly hit hard, with Cacace taking to the Twitterverse to share his raw reaction to the announcement:
“Actually can’t believe I’m writing this status. Been away from my children and home for 3 months only to be told that I will not be fighting on this show. What an absolute f****** kick in the teeth. Boxing’s broke me many times but this time just feel shattered. F*** boxing!!”
35-year-old Jonatan Romero (or Jonathan, as he’s often referred to in the English-speaking press) was coming from half a world away to fight Cacace, so no doubt the sting will be just as intense for the experienced Colombian fighter. But, despite a record of success over 35 matches with just one loss, Romero was also coming in after a multi-year hiatus from competitive boxing, which means he had more riding on the outcome. It has ultimately proved more consequential than any of us expected.
In what would have been one of the most interesting matches of the night, punters were looking at steep odds favouring Cacace at -900, to Romero’s +500, but since we’re now looking down the ticket, it will forever remain in unsettled territory.
Upcoming Boxing Matches
Also in the UK, Ekow Essuman will take on Darren Tetley for the British and Commonwealth welterweight titles on 29th April.
The following day, Oscar Valdez (+400) and Shakur Stevenson (-600) are competing for the WBC and WBO super featherweight titles at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
At the same time, two big fights are taking place on the east coast in New York. There, we’ll see Katie Taylor (+107) and Amanda Serrano (-136) step into the ring to fight for four separate lightweight titles. Following that match, the super welterweights, Jessie Vargas (+185) and Liam Smith (-250) will go head-to-head as well.
We’ll be weighing in on all the biggest fights for every month with all the latest boxing betting odds here at Bodog Casino. First up is Fury vs Whyte betting with precious little time left before the first punch is thrown. It’s a fight that promises to deliver at every level: two big bruisers facing off for two of the biggest titles in boxing. To get your own knockout win, head to Bodog and throw your bet slips in the ring with Bodog boxing betting.