Lucas Browne: Dillian Whyte is the new Dereck Chisora

Lucas Browne and Dillian Whyte have done plenty of talking ahead of their clash on Saturday, which airs on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and HBO in the United States, and that looks like it will continue on right up until they touch gloves (if they do).

Browne discussed his past troubles with drug tests with ESPN, saying he’s a clean fighter, and also offered this thought on his next opponent:

“I don’t rate Dillian Whyte that high. I see him as the new Dereck Chisora, he’s a gatekeeper, someone I have to beat to move on to bigger things.”

Browne (25-0, 22 KO) scored a career-best win over Ruslan Chagaev just over two years ago, and has fought once since then, beating sub-.500 journeyman Matthew Greer in June 2017. Whyte (22-1, 16 KO) is on a six-fight win streak following a 2015 loss to Anthony Joshua, including a slugfest victory over Dereck Chisora in late 2016.

Is Whyte more than a gatekeeper? Is Browne underestimating his opponent, or just talking trash, trying to get into Whyte’s head?