Dillian Whyte vs. TBA | DAZN - 7 June 2025

[Ruthless-RKO]

FABIO WARDLEY'S MANAGER DILLIAN WHYTE SET FOR RING RETURN ON PORTMAN ROAD UNDERCARD

Dillian Whyte will return to the ring on the undercard of Fabio Wardley’s homecoming show at Portman Road on June 7.

Wardley is set to fight Justis Huni at the home of Ipswich Town FC after his initial opponent Jarrell Miller pulled out with a shoulder injury.

And now it has been confirmed that Wardley’s manager Whyte will now provide a star turn further down the card.

The 37-year-old ‘Bodysnatcher’ has not boxed since he stopped Ebenezer Tetteh in the seventh round of their entertaining December clash at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar.

Whyte had been scheduled to face Joe Joyce in Manchester on April 5 but a freak gym accident, when a rolling dumbbell cut his finger down to the bone, forced him to withdraw.

Now the (31-3, 21 KOs) heavyweight will return to the ring in a 10-round contest as he builds towards a big summer fight with the likes of Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker in his sights. The Ring understands the New Zealander Hemi Ahio (24-1, 18 KOs) looks like the most likely opponent.

At the launch press conference on the pitch at Portman Road on Wednesday, Whyte said: “Obviously I was getting ready for April 5 but a gym accident forced me to pull out. I still wanted to fight but my team pulled me out of the fight.

“I was thinking about it last night when I got offered the fight, for a lot of my big nights, Fabio was supporting me but it’s funny how life works, now I’m on the undercard.

“I’m looking for as big fight in the summer which we are talking about. I could sit around and wait for the big fight but I’m not at that stage of my career, I want to be active. So let’s go, let’s get it on.”

Whyte has already fought both Joshua and Parker, losing to the former via stoppage back in 2015 before beating the latter on points in their 2018 12-rounder at the o2.

Whyte added: “I just want to fight the best guys I can fight.

“Obviously the AJ fight is always there, we have needle and it’s a lifelong thing. I enjoy fighting the guy to be honest and I’m sure he enjoys fighting me.

“There’s also Joseph Parker, Filip Hrgovic, even Deontay Wilder is coming back. I just want to fight the best guys. I’d take a Parker rematch or an AJ trilogy fight."

[rd350lc]

Star turn ??
Is he really all that nowadays?

[KiwiRider]

Oh, so now he would take a Parker rematch?

He wasn't that keen when Parker was calling him out though the medium of song last year.
Funny how a lack of any other options can change things.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yh even AJ is open to the Parker rematch.

[Jimmy2025]

None of these hardmen ever call out Agit Kabayal.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[golden_labrador]

None of these hardmen ever call out Agit Kabayal.

100%

c'mon Frank. give us more Agit

[CaptainSpacerod]

I never understood why Whyte was Wardley’s manager

What credentials does a thrice disgraced drug cheat without any background in management have for such a role

[Ruthless-RKO]

I never understood why Whyte was Wardley’s manager

What credentials does a thrice disgraced drug cheat without any background in management have for such a role

TBF to him, he managed his own career quite well after the AJ loss.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Fair comment Ruthie

[maverick23]

I never understood why Whyte was Wardley’s manager

What credentials does a thrice disgraced drug cheat without any background in management have for such a role

The key thing for boxers is getting opportunities.

Having Whyte as his manager has given Wardley plenty of opportunities that he probably wouldn’t have got otherwise. It’s been the same for Babic too.

Whyte was able to get Wardley on big undercards on TV and did the same with Babic.

Considering Wardley’s background I think Whyte has done great by him. Same with Babic. He’s probably English title level yet has fought for a world title and headlined a few shows.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[CaptainSpacerod]

I never understood why Whyte was Wardley’s manager

What credentials does a thrice disgraced drug cheat without any background in management have for such a role

The key thing for boxers is getting opportunities.

Having Whyte as his manager has given Wardley plenty of opportunities that he probably wouldn’t have got otherwise. It’s been the same for Babic too.

Whyte was able to get Wardley on big undercards on TV and did the same with Babic.

Considering Wardley’s background I think Whyte has done great by him. Same with Babic. He’s probably English title level yet has fought for a world title and headlined a few shows.

Babic fought for a world title ?

I think you’re giving Whyte a bit too much credit. Wardley is a promoter’s dream, an articulate fairly charismatic fighter who won’t take a backward step and loves a brawl. His white collar background also endears him to fans. He’d have been a welcome addition to any UK card.

Babic similarly is a charismatic guy who was knocking everybody out in his early fights. Guys like that don’t struggle to get opportunities.

[golden_labrador]

I never understood why Whyte was Wardley’s manager

What credentials does a thrice disgraced drug cheat without any background in management have for such a role

The key thing for boxers is getting opportunities.

Having Whyte as his manager has given Wardley plenty of opportunities that he probably wouldn’t have got otherwise. It’s been the same for Babic too.

Whyte was able to get Wardley on big undercards on TV and did the same with Babic.

Considering Wardley’s background I think Whyte has done great by him. Same with Babic. He’s probably English title level yet has fought for a world title and headlined a few shows.

Babic fought for a world title ?

i think bridgerweight title vs Rozanski

[maverick23]

I never understood why Whyte was Wardley’s manager

What credentials does a thrice disgraced drug cheat without any background in management have for such a role

The key thing for boxers is getting opportunities.

Having Whyte as his manager has given Wardley plenty of opportunities that he probably wouldn’t have got otherwise. It’s been the same for Babic too.

Whyte was able to get Wardley on big undercards on TV and did the same with Babic.

Considering Wardley’s background I think Whyte has done great by him. Same with Babic. He’s probably English title level yet has fought for a world title and headlined a few shows.

Babic fought for a world title ?

I think you’re giving Whyte a bit too much credit. Wardley is a promoter’s dream, an articulate fairly charismatic fighter who won’t take a backward step and loves a brawl. His white collar background also endears him to fans. He’d have been a welcome addition to any UK card.

Babic similarly is a charismatic guy who was knocking everybody out in his early fights. Guys like that don’t struggle to get opportunities.

Wardley was fighting in small hall shows before he signed to Whyte. Then 3 of his next 4 were at the O2 on big shows and he also got Wardley out during Covid in Matchroom’s garden.

Babic was a small Croatian heavyweight who wasn’t a stand out amateur either. He fought at a good level but not like he won, or was close to winning, big competitions. Yet his second fight was at the O2 on Sky PpV and fought on other big Whyte shows and Matchroom shows.

He’d basically be unknown I think if he hadn’t sparred and later joined Whyte.

[Ruthless-RKO]

DILLIAN WHYTE PLANS ONE FINAL ASSAULT ON THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Dillian Whyte ushered in his 37th birthday last month, but it was a low-key celebration for a man with far more important business to attend to in 2025.

Last month also brought up three years since Whyte was stopped by Tyson Fury in the solitary world title shot of his career.

Since that night, on April 23, 2022, the Bodysnatcher has managed just three outings, only one of them over 12 rounds, as his career stalled and the division moved on without him.

A significant ring return had been scheduled for April 5 in the form of an all-British headline clash with Joe Joyce in Manchester, but when a gym dumbbell cut his finger down to the bone he was forced to pull out of that, too.

So it was a surprise to many when he was added to the June 7 card at Portman Road, not least because it will be headlined by Fabio Wardley, a man he has managed for the last seven years. But, as he spoke to The Ring in the Ipswich sun on the Portman Road pitch, he explained why the outing might turn out to be one of the most important of his career.

“Look,” he says, "inactivity has basically killed my career in the last three years.

“I am looking at having a big fight at the end of July or early August and I just thought I need some activity before heading into that.

“I thought I need to get active as quickly as possible because I’m serious about having a last run at it again and possibly fighting for the world title. So I want to put myself in the position that when it comes I’m not just there to take part but I’m going there with a high chance of winning because I will have some momentum behind me.

“The only way to get that is by putting my pride to one side and saying, 'You know what, I’ll take this opportunity.' I’ve always done that in my career. I fought Dereck Chisora as co-main event on a massive card and then in my next fight I boxed Malcolm Tann in an eight rounder at about 5pm.

“So this is about staying busy to put myself in a better position to give the fans big fights.”

It will mean a total role reversal with Wardley, who has so often boxed on his undercards and then provided support in the dressing room and from ringside. Now it will be Whyte hoping to do his business early before assuming the role as support act.

“Experience has taught me one thing and that is boxing is an individual sport, but it’s actually down to the team," he says. "In big moments, like the Fury fight, you need a certain level of support.

“You need your people around you, people that keep you calm and give you certain energy. Fabio has done that for me a lot. We’d share a dressing room and we’d have a laugh and it’s relaxing. Now I’m happy to do that for him. I know he's going to do well regardless but if it makes a difference to him, I’m here.”

The truth is that Whyte’s presence has been a driving force behind much of the good in Wardley’s career since he stepped in to sign the former white collar boxer to management terms in 2018. Whyte's first move was to get Wardley a place on the undercard at the O2 Arena in the December of that year and it has been onwards and upwards ever since.

In the 14 fights since, Wardley has won English and British titles, knocked out domestic rivals Nathan Gorman, David Adeleye and Frazer Clarke, is ranked 10th with Ring and in the top three with two of the four sanctioning bodies.

The June 7 showdown with Justis Huni will be for the WBO interim belt meaning whoever wins will likely box for the full title at some point in 2026. For Wardley, the homecoming fight he has craved for so many years also will be the culmination of years of toil on the road.

“It has been very hard at times,” Whyte says. “Very gruelling. This is not an overnight success.

“But I just knew there was something special about him and I believed he could face the challenge that I put in front of him. When I was sparring him he was British level but just the way he composed himself and went about his business told me that with the right guidance he could be something special. I’m just glad I wasn’t wrong.

“Look, he’s one win away from a world title shot now and I think he will get that win in about nine rounds. I think he stops Huni. But it sucks watching him fight. I much prefer doing the fighting myself.

“I can just crack on but with these guys I’m just like ... keep your hands up. It’s tough to watch at times.”

Luckily for Whyte, he will still get the chance to do the fighting for himself before settling into life as a full-time manager.

“I’ve got a few more moves left in me,” he says. “And now it’s about maximising them.

“I was once the guy in my 20s running around making noise, now I’m in my 30s and there is a different process. Heavyweight boxing is crazy, man. One punch and you can just lose your life like that. You have to be smart.”

That starts in the early evening sun June 7. Defeat is unthinkable, but he is adamant victory can launch the final stage of his career.

“I want to fight for the title one more time,” he says. “And I’ll give my all to get there. I’ll give everything I have left in my body to get there.”

[joshj909]

I don't think any potential "big fights" are gimmes for him. Any big fight is a big gamble for him so either it's not a big fight or he's going to risk losing.

Best possible opponents? Zhang, Ruiz, Miller, Okolie, Hunter, Bakole, Ajagba, Hrgovic, Joyce, Pulev. Whyte probably loses over half of them right now.

[golden_labrador]

Whyte-Bakole would be fun but Martin has just fought

[Coco]

Is Whyte looking for a tick over fight?
He doesn't really need to beat a ranked opponent to be then brought in as an opponent for a big fight.
At this stage Dave Allen we be a reasonable shout, maybe a good fight for both of them.

[Coco]

I don't think any potential "big fights" are gimmes for him. Any big fight is a big gamble for him so either it's not a big fight or he's going to risk losing.

Best possible opponents? Zhang, Ruiz, Miller, Okolie, Hunter, Bakole, Ajagba, Hrgovic, Joyce, Pulev. Whyte probably loses over half of them right now.

Would be expensive to bring in, and risky fights too

[KiwiRider]

Is Whyte looking for a tick over fight?
He doesn't really need to beat a ranked opponent to be then brought in as an opponent for a big fight.
At this stage Dave Allen we be a reasonable shout, maybe a good fight for both of them.

Dave Allen would knock him out with an uppercut, as would anyone even slightly above that level. Whyte has lost his punch resistance and is a KO waiting to happen.

[gregregegg]

Is Whyte looking for a tick over fight?
He doesn't really need to beat a ranked opponent to be then brought in as an opponent for a big fight.
At this stage Dave Allen we be a reasonable shout, maybe a good fight for both of them.

Problem is that isn’t a tick over anymore… Whyte isn’t going to take a big risk. On wardlys undercard at short notice.

People were saying hemi… I think that’s too good.

I am expecting trash.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Is Whyte looking for a tick over fight?
He doesn't really need to beat a ranked opponent to be then brought in as an opponent for a big fight.
At this stage Dave Allen we be a reasonable shout, maybe a good fight for both of them.

He fought Allen years ago didnt he?

[mickey1975]

Is Whyte looking for a tick over fight?
He doesn't really need to beat a ranked opponent to be then brought in as an opponent for a big fight.
At this stage Dave Allen we be a reasonable shout, maybe a good fight for both of them.

He fought Allen years ago didnt he?

Yes, and couldn't stop Dave then. I think Allen beats him.

[Jimmy2025]

Somebody called Hughie offering a fight at three weeks notice. I don't know if it was Dillian's people. Either way, they said no.

Coming off a hand injury and with three weeks notice, IF it was Dillian's team, do you think Hughie should have said yes?