Dillian Whyte vs. Joseph Parker was a supposed to be a conventional brawl where one player had to rise with pride whilst the other had to face off defeat. The fight was to gather and glue the missing pieces of the heavyweight title contention, with fans anticipating the bout to bring forward a triumphant winner. But, with the lines heavily blurred between the winner and loser, the show brought along more confusion than clarity. The archaic affair was to badge up the “best man” and place him in the ring facing none other but the undefeated Anthony Joshua.
However, as the lights bathed the best potential of two powerhouses of boxing realm, it was a tough call to decide where the winner stood. A pure firework show wrapped up with a victorious Whyte leaving the ring with speculations about his ability to stand against the raging AJ, while a defeated Parker welcomed his defeat like a long lost lover, gaining more heroism than a win might have brought forward. To add to the déjà vu, Dereck Chisora shushed the audience with nostalgic memories as he stomped hard on his rival Carlos Takam, suggesting again that he was not easy to mess with.
At the end of the day, it was an evening that shook up the Britain soil with jolting moves and a roller-coaster ride in a tunnel of fire. The show lived up to its expectations, bundling adrenaline moves and unpredictable drama, putting an end to the controversies that speak of boxing’s death in the country. Other elated winners of the night were Dave Allen, Frank Buglioni and Conor Benn. The show also gave its audience an out-of-the-blue knockout from the rising prodigy Joshua Buatsi. However, Whyte does deserve a pat at the back for standing resiliently against all odds and getting his name written in the book of one of the most anticipated brawl in heavyweight division.
A Stellar Night, A Stellar Performance
This was Whyte’s most stellar performance in his pro career so far. Owning to his feats in the last round, the fight turned into an epic boxing fairytale, one which won’t be forgotten for long. The last round saw an unforgiving Parker throw him to the canvas. This was the defining moment where a little lack of motivation could have caused the current winner to embrace defeat.
But Whyte’s unflinching, fiery passion helped him to get back to his feet, grabbing just by the fingertips the victory he yearned for so much. Dispatching his rival a unanimous defeat, this is what the Brit had to say to his fans that religiously believed in his ability,
“I would like to fight Joshua again if he wants it, but I have still got a lot to learn, so I would like to get one more [fight] in before him. I’m still inexperienced and making mistakes.”
RDX Analysis: Though Whyte might have sealed the deal for now, he needs to prep up if he wishes to relish the same fate with AJ as he did with Parker.