Dillian Whyte Biography

Dillian Whyte was born on April 11, 1988, in Port Antonio, Portland, Surrey County, Jamaica. He is of mixed descent and has both Irish and Jamaican roots. His Irish-origin paternal grandfather had emigrated to Jamaica from Dublin, Ireland.

Whyte’s childhood in Jamaica was rough, as he lived in a neighborhood that saw frequent and violent gang wars. He did not attend any school in Jamaica.

At 12, he moved to the UK with his family. He also struggled to adjust to his new school in London. However, he took refuge in boxing, as the sport helped him get over his violent past. The sport helped him improve his mental health, too. While growing up in Brixton, London, he trained at Miguel’s Boxing Gym.

Dillian Whyte, also known as The Body Snatcher and The Villain, started his career as a kickboxer. He soon became a 2-time British (BIKMA super-heavyweight) champion and won the European K1 championship once, too. After being a number 1 kickboxer in the UK for 5 years, he stepped into mixed martial arts (MMA) in December 2008. In his only MMA win, he beat Mark Stroud by knockout (KO) within 12 seconds in 2008.

He made his professional boxing debut in May 2011, beating Michael Matuszewski at Medway Park, England. Following this, he went unbeaten in his next 15 matches, fighting against boxers such as Toni Visic, Kristian Kirilov, Zurab Noniashvili, Marcelo Luiz Nascimento, and Mike Holden.

On October 13, 2012, he won a match against Sandor Balogh by TKO, at Bluewater, Stone, England. Although the match was listed as one of Whyte’s victories, its result was officially changed to “NC” after he failed a drug test.

On September 12, 2015, he scored a win against Brian Minto at The O2 Arena, London, England. The win helped him bag the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International Silver heavyweight title. On December 12 that year, he faced his career’s first loss, in a match for the WBC International, Commonwealth, and the vacant British heavyweight titles, against British boxer Anthony Joshua.

Following this loss, Whyte underwent shoulder surgery. He then went on a brilliant 11-fight winning streak, beating boxers such as Derek Chisora (twice), Lucas Browne, Joseph Parker, and Oscar Rivas, chasing the World Title.

On July 30, 2016, he won the vacant WBC International heavyweight title by defeating British boxer David Allen at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Whyte then bagged the vacant British heavyweight title by defeating Ian Lewison at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

He then defended and retained his WBC International heavyweight title in a win against Derek Chisora at Manchester Arena in December 2016. He won the vacant WBC Silver heavyweight title in a match against Finnish boxer Robert Helenius in October 2017. He retained the same title by defeating Lucas Browne in March 2018.

With his win against New Zealand boxer Joseph Parker in July 2018, Dillian Whyte retained the WBC Silver heavyweight title and won the vacant WBO International heavyweight title. He then defended and retained his WBC Silver and WBO International heavyweight titles by beating Derek Chisora in December that year.

In July 2019, Whyte defeated Colombian boxer Óscar Rivas to win the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title. His loss to Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin in August 2020 temporarily halted Whyte's ambitions, but he got his revenge in a win against Povetkin in March 2021, to win the WBC interim heavyweight title that he had lost in the previous match. The rematch had initially been scheduled for November 21, 2020, at Wembley's SSE Arena. However, since Povetkin tested positive for Covid-19, they fought in March 2021, in Gibraltar.

With this win, Whyte also scored a World Title challenge against Tyson Fury. Whyte lost in his match against Fury at London’s Wembley Stadium in April 2022 but scored a win by a majority decision against unbeaten American boxer Jermaine Franklin in his next match, on November 26, 2022.

From 2016 to July 2021, he had been listed among the world’s Top 10 heavyweight boxers by BoxRec. In December 2020, he was named the world’s 5th-best heavyweight boxer by The Ring magazine, while BoxRec ranked him world number 7.

In October 2012, Dillian Whyte tested positive for the banned stimulant Methylhexaneamine (MHA). The news came to light when he was on his way to a news conference to declare his participation in a bout for the English title.

Following this, the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed that Whyte had been provisionally suspended from all future bouts. The independent National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) called for a 2-year ban.

Whyte appealed against the ban. Soon, his case was transferred to a tribunal, and he claimed he was innocent and had consumed the banned substance unknowingly, as it was present in an over-the-counter nutritional supplement named Jack3d. Though the panel accepted his plea, they rejected the appeal, saying he, as an international boxer, should have been more careful when consuming the substance.

Dillian Whyte has 3 children: 2 sons and a daughter. At age 13, just a year after moving to the UK, Whyte fathered his first child. He thus became one of the world’s youngest fathers and began working 2 jobs to bear the child’s expenses. He had 2 more children later. However, all 3 of his children were born to him through unnamed relationships.

He is known for his signature rugged beard. He also sports tattoos on his upper left chest and his left hand.