Did A Hidden Injury Doom Dillian Whyte Against Moses Itauma?

Dillian Whyte’s brother, Dean Whyte, talked about him potentially needing to retire after his first-round knockout loss to heavyweight contender Moses Itauma last Saturday night, August 16th, in Riyadh.

Dillian Whyte’s knockout explained

Dean hints about an injury Whyte (31-4, 21 KOs) had going into the fight, and Team Itauma took advantage of it by going after him early in the first round. The defeat showed Dean that his brother, Dillian, needs to sit down and consider retirement for his own health. He points out that Whyte is 37, an age at which many fighters walk away from the game.

Dean Whyte on brother’s loss

“He made the same mistake, and he pounced on it. He saw the opening and he went for it,” said Dean Whyte to Secondsout about his brother, Dillian Whyte’s mistakes leading to his knockout loss to Moses Itauma last Saturday.

The mistakes that Dean is referring to are Whyte retreating to the ropes right off the bat in the first round, shelling up behind his guard, and not throwing punches.

Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) took advantage of Dillians’ defensive posture by shelling him nonstop to send him down on all fours on the canvas. The referee, Mikael Hook, promptly stopped the fight after a groggy-looking Whyte got back to his feet. The time was 1:59.

Injury’s impact on Whyte vs. Itauma

“People whispering about injuries. That was probably another impacting factor,” said Dean about Whyte. “They [Team Itauma] figured, ‘Let’s test the waters early to see if we can get him out of there,’ and that came to fruition,” Dean said about Whyte’s physical problems playing a factor in his loss.”

Many fans noted before the fight that Whyte appeared to have a leg problem that affected his mobility. In that case, choosing to fight against the ropes would make sense. He didn’t appear strong on his feet.

Whyte’s brother discusses retirement

“Family, blood, brother, I don’t know,” said Dean when asked if he would like to see Whyte continue his career or retire. “I have to look out for my bro. I have to look out for him and his safety. He’s got health. He’s getting on. He didn’t take the greatest of punishment, but at 37, some guys are hanging them up around now. He’s got to go away and figure it out. I just don’t want to see any more grueling battles that end in this fashion.”

Itauma vs. Whyte punch stats

• Moses Itauma 19 of 34 for 55.9%
• Dillian Whyte: 2 of 12 for 16.7%.