Dillian Whyte Says He Fought Moses Itauma on a Broken Foot

Dillian Whyte lasted under two minutes against Moses Itauma in Riyadh last August. Now the Brixton veteran, 31-4 (21 KO), says he walked to the ring on a broken foot — and did it against direct medical advice.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Whyte revealed he first fractured the foot cleanly during a sparring session in camp, stepping back the wrong way while under pressure from bigger, quicker training partners. He says he then re-fractured it in his fight-night warm-up, skipping rope before the bout against an opponent who came in 14-0 (12 KO) and left ranked sixth in the division.

The Doctor Said No

By Whyte's account, the doctor travelling with him examined the foot and told him not to fight. Whyte refused. He said there was no way he'd fly all the way to Saudi Arabia only to withdraw at the last minute. That stubbornness is on brand for a man who's shared a ring with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin over a long career.

The eerie part, in hindsight, was the walkout. Observers clocked how flat Whyte looked heading to the ring, notably ditching his trademark pre-fight wolf howl. At the time it read as nerves against a rising 20-something. Now it reads as a man who knew exactly what state he was in.

Whyte insists he still fancied the upset. He pointed to Filip Hrgovic, who managed to drag Itauma into deeper water before falling, and said he believed he could do the same — grind the youngster into the later rounds and find a stoppage. It didn't get close. Itauma needed barely 120 seconds.

Whether the injury explanation holds up is a fair question, and one plenty of fans will ask given the timing of the reveal over a year on. What's clear is that Whyte hasn't fought since. He's now being linked to a comeback on a Zuffa Boxing card, with a domestic dust-up against Johnny Fisher, 14-1 (12 KO), floated as the target. Fisher is next booked against Michael Pirotton on Zuffa Boxing 11, so there's a path to clear before that one gets made.