Brixton’s Dillian Whyte suffered a first professional boxing defeat last weekend, a knockout loss to arch rival Anthony Joshua in front of a packed crowd at the The 02 Arena. However he has plenty to look forward to in 2016 after a fine performance.
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A heavyweight brawl to remember
In a fight built around long term bad blood between the pair dating back to 2009 when Dillian Whyte overcame Anthony Joshua in the amateurs, the relationship between the pair had threatened to boil over ever since. That in some sort of aspect, was laid to rest last weekend in the squared circle.
Neither man acknowledged each other at the end, which gathers the thought of a potential rematch down the line after the excitement in the first, and Whyte having success in taking Anthony Joshua into new territory that people were crying out to see for so long.
The moment that will be highlighted will be round two, when Joshua had Whyte pinned against the ropes, throwing a right hand which Whyte saw coming and countered with his own short range left hook that had Joshua stumbling, the first clean shot that Joshua has taken in his professional career.
Whyte unloaded an onslaught of his own that had the fight turn for that moment. Whyte had a continuation of success going to the body and with the jab but ultimately fell short with a well timed one punch uppercut that kept Dillian Whyte down.
2016
So the questions in the aftermath are what is next for either man?
Dillian Whyte’s stock will only rise from that performance. With many writing him off before hand, he proved them all wrong, taking full force of Joshua’s punches that ultimately have ended all fourteen of the Olympic Gold medalist’s previous opponents.
Whyte showed he can operate at a high level and his exposure to hardcore and casual fans would have risen from the fight. In 2016 Dillian will be looking to bounce back with a few wins to regain the momentum he had going into this fight.
Trainer Jonathan Banks believes Dillian Whyte has shown he is capable of having another big fight after one comeback bout in the new year. Whyte seemingly picked up an injury in the fight, but it isn’t clear what that injury was, so potentially a rest period will be in order before returning to the ring next year.
A rematch with Joshua is inevitable down the line one would think, as both continue building on with their careers in the future and with clear bitter feelings between the pair still alive, it could well end up being a more anticipated fight than the first.
There are potential domestic dust ups for Whyte next year with David Price and Derick Chisora still in the mix, a route of getting ranked in the governing bodies is a potential area he can go down in 2016 too, as he looks to re-build and elevate himself once again towards the best possible opponents.
Nevertheless, ‘The Body Snatcher’ certainly gained respect off a lot of fans this weekend just gone, and after having two stoppage losses on Matchroom shows on Sky Sports before this fight, many fans will have taken notice and will be tuning in next year to see the return.
(Image credit: Ringtone Boxing)
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