Dillian Whyte is no stranger to knockdowns.

The 34-year-old heavyweight has suffered heartbreak time and time again, both in and out of the ring.

He has been shot twice and stabbed three times but, with the help of his mother, he dragged himself away from that life and into the boxing ring.

“Everything starts with my mum and everything ends up going back to my mum,” he adds.

Anthony Joshua put him down in 2015 in his first professional defeat, but he got back up.

Alexander Povetkin knocked him out cold in 2020, but he knocked the Russian out in their rematch.

With his fists, he carved out a life even his devoted mother might have struggled to envision. There was no blueprint, no flashy promoter to back him, it was just his strong will to make something of himself.

“I had no plan,” he admits. “But I don’t mind taking risks.

“I’m a bit wild and crazy like that. I’ve always been a risktaker. Taking risks for me is nothing.”

Today Whyte is one of the most recognisable faces in British boxing, selling out arenas, most recently Wembley Stadium in April alongside Tyson Fury. He is being paid handsomely to do it.

In April an uppercut from WBC champion Fury brought a painful close to a seven-year battle for a world title shot.

But he is not deterred and plans to come again.

Now he stands on the cusp of yet another comeback, one he relishes. On Saturday evening he faces undefeated American contender Jermaine Franklin.

“I’ve been in the lion’s den my whole career,” he says.

“I’ve come up from losses before. My history is I’m not scared to get straight back into big fights.”

‘You never get over it’

Once again, however, tragedy has hit Whyte. The son of one of his closest friends, Dean, was killed in a shooting in Brixton earlier this month. Lamar Scott was 27.

“You never get over it,” Whyte admits. “You just have to try and live with the memories.

“I grew up losing people, suffering and struggling. Growing up with people dying around me is not something to be proud of or something positive.

“But it’s something I got used to.”

Whyte says he wants to continue to be a role model to young people in his community. He once walked in their shoes and credits boxing, and his mother, with saving his life.

“Something that was a curse and a problem for me was obviously fighting,” he says.

“When I realised that I can turn that into something that pays for me and my family, and give me real respect, I was hooked.”

Joshua finally ‘coming out of his shell’

If Whyte beats Franklin he will put himself in prime position to fight his bitter rival Joshua, in a long-awaited rematch.

Joshua himself is about to embark on his own redemption tour. His second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in August has left him at a crossroads.

His outburst in the ring shocked onlookers and his tearful post-fight comments gave a rare glimpse into the man behind the carefully managed image.

Whyte says Joshua was never the cool-headed poster boy of boxing he was portrayed as.

The ‘Bodysnatcher’ has never been a man to carefully chose his words, he is partial to flashes of anger inside and outside the ring, but he feels he has never tried to hide his true self.

“He’s (Joshua) getting praised for coming out of his shell,” Whyte says.

“It’s funny how the world works. I would never want to be forced into a position where I can’t be myself.”

‘What’s cool is beating the odds’

Whyte has no thoughts of walking away from boxing. He wants to keep fighting the biggest names.

He would love to fight Joshua three times if he can. He’s also keen on facing American duo Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr, and unified champion Usyk is also on his radar.

He might retire after that, having fought every top heavyweight of his generation.

But first he must return to winning ways against Franklin. Another rebuild awaits him.

With everything he has been through, Whyte thinks his biggest strength is his ability to continue to get back up.

“I need to push on for and fight for and show (kids like me) that even in bad, devastating times you can still be positive,” he says.

“What’s cool is beating the odds, raising from the dirt and becoming someone.

“I’m looking to knock him out. I don’t care about throwing punches. I’m not shy to miss a couple of punches to land a couple of punches.”