Wednesday 19 December 2018 12:17, UK
Dillian Whyte was just seconds from defeat in his last fight and has told Sky Sports about staying calm in a crisis, dropping weight for Derek Chisora, and improving for Anthony Joshua.
A career-best victory for Whyte had nearly slipped from his grasp in July as he took a knee during a final-round assault from Joseph Parker, but the Brixton man fought through a dazed fog to hear the final bell, earning a unanimous points win at The O2.
Whyte returns to the same venue for Saturday's rematch with Chisora, live on Sky Sports Box Office, and reveals how he became mentally and physically stronger after that close scare.
Book Whyte vs Chisora 2 online here
Watch Whyte vs Chisora 2 online here
I just learned to be patient and control my emotion and take my time, to be honest. I just learned to realise the difference of where the fight is, and what's going on.
I learned a lot, because Parker was taking the distance away and he wasn't fighting the whole round. He was fighting the last 30 seconds of the last minute of the round.
I got off the floor in the 12th round, and did what I had to do.
The [Joshua] fight before that, when I got hurt, I didn't know what to do. I tried to fight and tried to out-tough it, but as you can see, I took a knee and regrouped, which is what champions do.
It's no point making excuses. I got hit with a punch, and I got hurt, and I took a knee. I was tired, but he threw a punch. He threw a punch, it landed. I made a technical mistake.
I realised I'm a lot more fitter than what I think I am, because even with the chest infection, the rib and the hand [injuries]. I came in at 18st 6 [lbs] or 18st 7, and I was still able to fight at a high pace.
Imagine if I come in under 17 and-a-half stone, 17st 8, 17st 6.
I'm definitely going to be lighter than I was for the Parker fight, 100 per cent.
I don't think Derek Chisora even knows. I think they have been working on a game-plan, and he's going to do something completely different. He says he's coming to war, but I know from experience when someone says that, they are going to come and do something else. Let's see.
I'll just make sure everything is a bit more fine-tuned, a bit more efficient, and my concentration level is better. Just take certain strengths away from him, that he thinks he might have.
In life, it's important to learn. You have to keep learning. Only ignorant and arrogant people don't keep learning. That's just my mindset. I'm obsessed with progression. I don't want to be perfect, I just want to keep progressing.
When you're on the top, there's only one place you can go, and that's down. I'm still climbing and hopefully I'll keep climbing for the rest of my career.
Watch Dillian Whyte vs Derek Chisora 2, from The O2, London, on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here.
Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it at skysports.com/boxofficelive.
