Can Dillian Whyte Overcome Tyson Fury’s Height Advantage?

Dillian Whyte gets his shot at the WBC and Ring heavyweight championship this weekend as the former kickboxer and MMA fighter faces Tyson Fury at the sold-out Wembley Stadium in London, England. Whyte is coming off defeating Alexander Povetkin in just four rounds back in 2021, earning back his interim WBC heavyweight gold.

Now, Whyte takes on one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time in Tyson Fury on Saturday and is giving up a significant height and reach advantage. Can Dillian Whyte overcome this significant size disadvantage on Saturday night? Continue reading as we explore the tale of the tape for Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte.

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Dillian Whyte Gives Up 5 Inches of Height vs Tyson Fury

Dating back to 2015, Dillian Whyte holds a 1-1 record against fighters who hold a reach of 82 inches or more. Whyte was defeated by Anthony Joshua by stoppage inside seven rounds back in 2015. Joshua is 6’6 with an 82-inch reach and used his size to thoroughly pick apart Whyte with ease. Whyte holds a victory over Polish title contender Mariusz Wach, who stands 6’8, with an 82-inch reach. Whyte cruised to a lackluster decision win over Wach back in December of 2019, with Whyte winning the bout 97-93, 97-93, and 98-93 across the three judge’s scorecards.

On Saturday, Whyte will square off against Tyson Fury who is 6’9 and holds an 85-inch reach. Fury is by far the largest opponent that Whyte has faced in his heavyweight boxing career, but the Jamaican-born Brit has fought fighters larger than him for the majority of his career, so it will be nothing new for the challenger come Saturday.

Tyson Fury Height and Reach Measurables

• Height: 6’9”
• Reach: 85 inch

Dillian Whyte Height and Reach Measurables

• Height: 6’4”
• Reach: 78 inch

Can Dillian Whyte Overcome Tyson Fury’s Height Advantage?

Dillian Whyte comes in with a significant size disadvantage on Saturday against Tyson Fury, who holds a five-inch reach, and three-inch advantage in height. Fury also has the advantage in mobility, as he is the more active fighter on the feet between the two. Whyte tends to be mobile when under pressure or in danger, but when on the offensive, Whyte is mostly a flat-footed fighter that gets after his opponents by moving forward into their space in a deliberate and plodding fashion.

Fury has just faced a fighter of a similar size in back-to-back bouts in Deontary Wilder and may have trouble adjusting to the hand speed and bodywork of Whyte early on. With the significant size advantage that Fury has over Whyte, the larger fighter is almost always more vulnerable to the body, which is the exact path to victory for Dillian Whyte in this match-up.

If Whyte can utilize the bodywork early on against Tyson Fury, it may nullify the size advantage that Fury has over the interim champion, giving him a much greater chance to pull off the upset over the undefeated heavyweight champion.