British heavyweight Dillian Whyte (20-1, 15 KOs) is being featured in his first main event this summer as the A-side at the O2 Arena in London. His opponent will be Polish fringe contender Mariusz Wach (33-2, 17 KOs). Whyte is best known for his entertaining and valiant 2015 bout against the ascendant Anthony Joshua where he buzzed the super prospect early before being finished in the seventh.
Marius Wach has a pretty poor resume, but it is a comically poor one at least. Someone looking through his career work might end up on any number of journeys down memory lane when they see that a fighter that they had no idea was still fighting had fallen to the Polish fighter. From Kevin McBride in 2011, to Tye Fields in 2012, to Travis Walker in 2014, the options are numerous. Take your pick.
The two times Wach stepped up to the highest level against Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin, he didn’t win a round. Among the fights that he did win rounds in, it is difficult to pick a best win. It is probably his most recent outting against Erken Teper even though German fighter had already had his hype bubble burst in his prior fight.
Poking fun at Wach’s record aside, this should help us frame a better idea of who Dillian Whyte is as a fighter. His best win was his most recent fight in a heavyweight war with Derek Chisora. While wildly entertaining and Whyte did get the split decision win, it was a pause for concern for those inclined to believe Whyte is a world level heavyweight. After all, world level fighters have previously had much easier times with Chisora than Whyte did.
With that said, Derek Chisora is nothing if not unpredictable. Maybe he was just better on that night than he had been before and his opponent only struggled for that reason. Conversely, Mariusz Wach is predictable. A top heavyweight beats him comfortably. Is Dillian Whyte potentially a top heavyweight? If he cruises past Wach, just maybe. We find out June 3rd.
