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Dillian Whyte accuses Tyson Fury of engaging in ‘dirty’ tactics

Defeated fighter says he should have had extra recovery time after being floored during their world heavyweight fight

Britain’s Tyson Fury lands a punch to knock down Britain’s Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of their WBC heavyweight title fight at Wembley, London, on April 23th, 2022. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
Britain’s Tyson Fury lands a punch to knock down Britain’s Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of their WBC heavyweight title fight at Wembley, London, on April 23th, 2022. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
Mon Apr 25 2022 - 20:19

Dillian Whyte has accused Tyson Fury of engaging in "dirty" tactics and says he should have had extra recovery time after being floored during their world heavyweight fight.

Fury retained his WBC heavyweight title with a sixth-round stoppage of British rival Whyte at a sold-out Wembley Stadium, ending Saturday’s bout with a brutal upper cut.

Whyte was sent crashing to the deck, but the Londoner believes the referee should have penalised Fury for shoving him before his head thumped against the canvas.

“I was buzzed but obviously I was trying to regather my senses and he proper pushed me and I fell over and hit my head on the canvas, which is illegal,” Whyte told Sky Sports.

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“This isn’t wrestling, this is boxing. I should have been allowed extra time to recover and then carried on fighting.

“I got caught, no doubt about it. I got caught by a good shot. I was hurt, I was trying to get my senses together and he full on, two-handed pushed me. It wasn’t like a one-armed thing. I should have had time to recover, time to go back to my corner, but Tyson Fury gets away with a lot of things.”

Whyte claimed Fury headbutted him after he sustained a nasty gash over his right eye, the first time he has sustained a cut in 31 professional fights.

He said: “He kept on leaning down to the side and putting the head in and stuff like that. He leans down and he put the head in, he clashed with me and I got the cut and obviously the ref started telling me off.“I was like, ‘what the hell is going on here? I got headbutted?’

Bit crazy

“The fight spiralled a bit, until he started punching me in the back of the head. I started doing it to him and then his corner started throwing water and stuff like that, which was a bit crazy.

“I kept on getting all the blame. He was the one that was holding, he was the one that was headbutting and being dirty in the fight.”

While unbeaten Fury has vowed to bring his professional career to an end, 34-year-old Whyte is determined to force his way back into world title contention.

He said: “I’m still young enough, I’ve still got a lot left in me. I’ve fought the best in the world and I wasn’t outclassed or outboxed.

“It’s not a long, hard road back because I’ve showed the level I am. I’m still there, I’m still good enough. One fight and I’m back.”