Friday 23 September 2016 09:07, UK
Dillian Whyte has become friends with former foe Dave Allen and is helping the Doncaster heavyweight deal with his depression.
Whyte (18-1-KO14) outpointed Allen (9-1-1-KO6) in Leeds back in July and the defeated fighter subsequently revealed he was suffering from depression.
Whyte, who has been sparring the 24-year-old, told Sky Sports: "I'd seen that Dave was down and I thought him being away from his normal environment and coming to London to a boxing camp that's buzzing would be good.
"I know what it's like to be in a bad place so I know little things that people do or say can make massive differences. He sparred well, as well.
"I thought: why not? I called him and asked if he wanted to come and do some work and that I'd pay him to get down so it's worth his while. It's a good learning experience for him as well as for me."
I'm still a human being. I'm a father and a son. I do have compassion.
Relations between the pair were fractious in the build-up to the bout and even after the final bell, Whyte refused to shake the Yorkshireman's hand.
Despite his previous run-ins with Anthony Joshua, Whyte insists that he is a compassionate man and that representations of his character are often clouded by being in 'fight mode.'
'The Body Snatcher' added: "I've got a compassionate side. My mindset is that when I go to war, there is no 'friend' and there is no halfway line.
"War is war and sometimes it takes me a while to calm down after the fight because I psyche myself up and I'm in full aggression mode.
"I'm still a human being. I'm a father and a son. I do have compassion and the thing with boxing is it brings people close. It's just that when I'm at war, I'm at war - it's as simple as that."
Whyte returns to action on October 7 in Glasgow, where he will face south London rival Ian Lewison (12-2-1-KO8) on the undercard of Ricky Burns v Kiryl Relikh.
