The heavyweight division is as exciting as ever these days, and this past weekend a big statement was made by contender Dillian Whyte.
Fighting inside of the O2 Arena against his rival Dereck Chisora in a high-stakes rematch, Whyte scored a brutal knockout courtesy of a big counter left hook. Prior to that moment in the 11th round, the fight was nip-and-tuck as the championship rounds were approaching.
Whyte (25-1, 18 KO’s) also holds a split-decision victory over Chisora (29-9, 21 KO’s) from two years ago in an equally entertaining fight. Whyte was trailing on two scorecards by score of 95-94 and his big punch came through in huge fashion.
“That left hook is my money shot,” said Whyte. “That shot is going to put a lot of people away. They can train for it as much as they want. I’ve been in deep waters and I can swim. I was in great shape. I wasn’t tired once, I was just pacing myself and I knew the knockout was going to come.”
It’s a truly bitter pill for Chisora to swallow, as his record is not indicative of his true ability and the amount of high-level prize fights he has been a part of. Chisora lost points in round eight for a low blow and round 11 for an elbow. Still, the 34-year old banger fought very well and with heart and aggression. Chisora says he will fight on.
White, now 30 years old and still in his physical prime, pulls no punches about who he wants next; Anthony Joshua.
Joshua, the IBF, WBA, and WBO champion, handed Whyte his first loss three years ago via seventh round stoppage. But Whyte insists he is a changed fighter. Joshua was calling the action for Sky Sports and the two men faced off afterwards.
“Whoever wants it can get it,” Whyte said. “I want Joshua next! Let’s do this. Rematch!”
Joshua took the comments with stride and spoke with logic, throwing their first fight results to the wayside.
“Let’s forget about what’s happened in the past,” said Joshua. “We were at British level in our last fight and now we’re at world level. It was a good fight back then but let’s see where we’re at right now. If anybody deserves a world title shot, I think it’s Dillian. Deontay Wilder is the target, but if it’s not him, it’s Dillian Whyte.”
The public is dying to see Joshua in the ring vs. either WBC champion Deontay Wilder or former lineal champion Tyson Fury. Wilder and Fury fought to a spirited split-draw on December 1st in Los Angeles on SHOWTIME pay per view. Whyte vs. Chisora II aired on SHOWTIME as well.
It remains to be seen where Whyte goes from here. He did certainly give Joshua one of his toughest fights as a professional but just as he has progressed, so has the 29-year old champion, who would be a big favorite in that matchup. Don’t be surprised if Whyte’s name also gets mentioned for the heavyweight debut of current unified counterweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who looks to be making a move up north following his knockout over Tony Bellew last month.
