Otto Wallin has warned Dillian Whyte that he cannot afford to be as complacent against Tyson Fury as he was during his first fight with Alexander Povetkin.

The Body Snatcher was knocked out by Russia's 'White Lion' back in August 2019 before exacting his revenge seven months later.

And the shock defeat he suffered at the hands of the Russian temporarily dashed his hopes of taking on the Gypsy King later that year.

Whyte, by his own admission, was distracted by the prospect of facing Fury for the WBC heavyweight title prior to his initial clash with Povetkin, but Swedish fighter Wallin insists he must sharpen up his act if he wants to win their 'Battle of Britain' later this year.

"I see Fury winning that fight," Wallin exclusively told GiveMeSport.

"I think, you know, he's big, he's smart, he's got great defence and everything.

"Dillian Whyte doesn't really have fast hands or fast feet and I think that you need to have that to beat Fury.

"He's a bit slow, he can be a little lazy at times, we saw what happened when he fought Povetkin.

Boxing - Tyson Fury v Otto Wallin - T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, United States - September 14, 2019 Tyson Fury in action with Otto Wallin REUTERS/Steve Marcus

"So I'm picking Fury to win a decision."

Wallin, 30, was originally supposed to fight Whyte at the O2 Arena in London on October 30.

But thanks to a shoulder injury, the WBC interim heavyweight champion was forced to withdraw from the said booking.

Asked if he still wants to fight Whyte, Wallin replied: "Yeah, of course, you know, he's one of the top guys.

"That's a really good fight. There's lots of really good fights out there. I would love to fight Joe Joyce as well.

CARDIFF, WALES - FEBRUARY 05: Otto Wallin (in Blue Shorts) in action against Kamil Sokolowski during the Heavyweight fight between Otto Wallin and Kamil Sokolowski at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff on February 05, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Huw Fairclough/Getty Images)

"Like I said, I want to stay busy, I want to be active. I want to stay active, that's the only way I'm going to get better, and how I'm going to stay relevant.

"I'm open to anything. I want to be there. I want to be right up there with the rest of them.

"I want to fight for the championship, and whoever can take me there, I want to fight."

After almost twelve months out of the ring, Wallin's first fight since beating Dominic Breazeale this time last year wasn't pretty, but he still managed to get the job done regardless.

The Sundsvall-born, New York native moved to 22-1, 14 KOs with a unanimous decision victory over a game Kamil Sokolowski on February 5 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on the undercard of the 160-pound showdown between Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Williams.

Now he is looking to make up for lost time as he targets a busy 2022.

Wallin continued: "There's been a lot of politics. I mean, the pandemic has played a part, but not everything. I've had a really hard time making fights.

"Last year, we tried to make Charles Martin, Luis Ortiz, we had a contract with Dillian Whyte, it never came off.

"So it's been difficult. There has been a lot of politics. But I'm just happy to get a fight.

"This is the fun part, you know, training is alright but when you're just going back and forth to the gym everyday, it's not that fun.

"But I'm really enjoying my time here, hopefully I can get another fight and I'll be back soon."