Tuesday 24 July 2018 11:49, UK
Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker lock horns this weekend, so here is everything you need to know about the heavyweight battle. What is on the line and who else will be at The O2 on Saturday night? The Sky Sports Box Office event is coming...
Since a defeat to Anthony Joshua, the 'Body Snatcher' has beaten everyone put in front of him as he tries for force his way into world-title recognition. So far, it has been a long and frustrating pursuit, but with Joshua and Deontay Wilder the only targets, he knows a win here will put him firmly in the mix. Whyte is topping the Sky Sports Box Office bill and knows that anything but success will not do.
"It's a big challenge, so I'm completely focusing on cutting him down, and hacking him to bits on the night."
Is back in the UK looking to redeem himself after losing to 'AJ' in March. The New Zealander may have been the first to take the unified champion the distance, but he wants to right his personal wrongs, straight away. It took Parker and his team less than 48 hours to take this fight and knows that another defeat will see Whyte move above him on the heavyweight ladder, leaving him a long way from winning a world title again.
"I'm going to rumble, let's get it on. We'll get face to face, I'll test him out, and I'll see what he's about. I'm ready to throw hands."
Their futures. There might be versions of WBC and WBO titles on the line, but as David Higgins said, this is a people's eliminator. Parker is planning a vast improvement on his last fight, while Whyte has a chance of bettering Joshua's showing against him. Sometimes just winning isn't enough and, at times, it is the be all and end all for both fighters. Call it a stepping stone, call it a banana skin, both know victory is vital.
Joshua looms large over the heavyweight division but even if they lost to him, both can use him to their advantages. Can Parker do a better job on Whyte than old rival 'AJ' did all those years ago? Or can the 'Body Snatcher' overshadow Joshua's showing last time out and beat Parker inside the distance?
The O2, in London, is the hottest ticket in town for Saturday night's summer sizzler. A sell-out crowed will be crammed in as the temperatures rise in and outside the ring. Whyte will be making his fifth appearance at the venue but, after Cardiff and Manchester, Parker makes his London debut.
Whyte's foe Dereck Chisora is facing another brutal battle against Carlos Takam, who pushed Parker all the way in a points defeat. Katie Taylor puts her WBA and IBF lightweight titles on the line against IBF mandatory challenger Kimberly Connor, while Conor Benn will have a rematch with Cedrick Peynaud following their thrilling fight in December. Joshua Buatsi can also enhance his growing reputation as one of Britain's hottest prospects when he returns to action on the bill.
We are expecting one person and one person only to be watching from ringside... Anthony Joshua. The unified champions has given Whyte the edge and is not one to miss out on a heavyweight classic. Throw in best of friends Tony Bellew and David Haye, on the Sky Sports Box Office team with Chisora as chief support, and it looks set to be a heavyweight who's who.
Watch Dillian Whyte vs Joseph Parker with Katie Taylor, Dereck Chisora, Joshua Buatsi and Conor Benn all on the undercard, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from The O2, Saturday, July 28.
You can book via your Sky remote, via sky.com/boxofficeonline here and even if you aren't a Sky subscriber you can book and watch it via skysports.com/boxofficelive
