Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte has a new coach in his corner. 

Hall of Fame fighter turned touted trainer Buddy McGirt has been tasked to shape “The Bodysnatcher” ahead of his next fight, Whyte announced. 

"Buddy has been a two-time world champion, he fought a lot of good guys and has been in the corner of a lot of top guys as well," Whyte told Sky Sports. "He's been around, had years and rounds of world title experience and I think that's what I need at this stage in my career, somebody who can make little tweaks and has a bit more experience in big fights."

The move means Whyte has parted ways with Xavier Miller and Harold Knight, Previous to them, Whyte was tied to long-time coach Mark Tibbs.

The British-based Jamaican previously trained in Portugal, but will now make the transition across the pond to pair up with McGirt in Los Angeles. 

McGirt is known for reviving the careers of some of boxing’s best over the last two decades. 

The likes of Arturo Gatti, Vernon Forrest, Antonio Tarver, and Sergey Kovalev have all gone to McGirt immediately following a loss.

The 35-year-old Whyte (28-3, 19 KOs) is looking for McGirt to provide yet another Midas touch after getting knocked out by Tyson Fury inside six rounds in April. 

Whyte’s other two losses have both come via knockout to Anthony Johshua in 2015 and Alexander Povetkin in 2020.

McGirt is a former 140 and 147 pound titleholder who compiled a 73-6-1 (48 KOs) record from 1982 to 1997. 

McGirt, now 58 years old, has also trained the likes of Hasim Rahman and Paulie Malignaggi. He currently trains recently elevated WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.

McGirt was named 2002 trainer of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.