Dillian Whyte vs Oscar Rivas: I’m nothing special, says Briton ahead of heavyweight clash

Dillian Whyte has cast himself as the underdog heading into Saturday’s clash with Oscar Rivas at The O2 despite being installed as bookmakers’ favourite.

Whyte has been the WBC’s number one ranked heavyweight contender since 2017 but has yet to be given the world title fight he craves after being frozen out by Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.

And the 31-year-old from Brixton continues to earn his shot the hard way after agreeing to take on the dangerous Rivas in a fight that promoter Eddie Hearn insists is a final eliminator for Wilder’s WBC belt.

Rivas has a strong amateur pedigree that includes wins against Andy Ruiz Jr, who stunned the sport recently by defeating unified champion Anthony Joshua, and Kubrat Pulev.

And Whyte insists all the attention is on the undefeated Colombian.

“I’m nothing special. Once again I’m the underdog. The man over there has got everything,” said Whyte at the final press conference for the pay-per-view fight.

“He looks good, has got the amateur experience, is undefeated and has a great team around him. He’s got five people taking care of things for him.

“We’ll see what happens on Saturday night. I’ve been here before, said many things, shouting and screaming.

“People have said this, have said that, but it’s a good fight on paper. The guy is in great shape. Let’s see what happens.”

PA