TYSON FURY VS. DILLIAN WHYTE REVIEW: THE GYPSY KING SINKS THE BODY SNATCHER IN THE SIXTH

 

By Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove

Wembley Stadium

If Saturday night proves to be the final night of Tyson Fury’s career, then he will have performed yet another rare feat during his tumultuous boxing career, by becoming one of the very few world champions who chose to walk away while they were still ‘king of the hill’. With his sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte before a record-breaking audience of 94,000, Tyson showed that he is not just the best heavyweight in the world, but if anything at almost 34 years of age, still getting better. Tyson dismantled Whyte with the air of a man watering his garden on a Saturday afternoon. Any fears that the three wars with Deontay Wilder may have taken something out of Fury were shown to be unfounded as ‘The Gypsy King’ first out-boxed, then out-punched ‘The Body Snatcher’ before finally knocking him out of the fight altogether with a clinical right uppercut. Fury did all this with ease, which left the impression that he had barely got out of 2nd gear. In the end, it was easier than many had expected it to be. Whyte was always seemingly a step behind, as ‘The Gypsy King’ showed himself to be a league above his challenger.

Dillian Whyte Enters Ring

The bout began cagily with both men weighing each other up, and few meaningful punches being landed. By the end of the round Fury was already landing with his jab and showing a nimbleness of footwork, which underlined the flat-footed nature of his challenger.

Anyone who believed that Whyte would start the fight fast and aggressively was probably surprised by Whyte's demeanor. Fury is usually always a slow starter, and many felt that the challenger's best chance of victory, (perhaps his only chance) was to go after the champion from the start. Yet Whyte started slowly, stalking Fury but without the fire that might have been expected. Another surprise was that Whyte opened the bout boxing as a southpaw, rather than in his usual orthodox stance. This might have been part of a plan to try and unsettle the champion, but if anything, it seemed to confuse Dillian more than anyone else. Whatever plan lay behind Whyte's change in stance was hastily abandoned after the opening round, and he fought the remainder of the match in his usual orthodox manner. This was always going to be a long shot tactic for Whyte, as Fury is one of the very few fighters who can switch with ease from orthodox to southpaw, so he was never very likely to be bothered by Whyte's rather random attempt at boxing southpaw.

Fury was finding his rhythm by the second round while Whyte was already beginning to struggle with the champion’s speed and movement. Tyson’s greatest attribute has always been not so much his size but the speed and dexterity which he has for a man of his size. Add that to his ring IQ and fitness, which belies his fleshy exterior, and you have a clue to Fury’s success.

It was becoming clear that this was a much sharper and better conditioned ‘Gypsy King’ than we saw against Wilder last October. Weighing in 13 pounds lighter at 264 pounds, Fury’s reflexes and footwork was clearly improved. Fury was displaying the boxing skills that he largely abandoned last October against Wilder, when under trained and ring rusty, he had to resort to going toe-to-toe to win their 3rd and final war.

Fury was pot-shotting Whyte with jabs and the occasional right hand, landing then stepping out of range. As the fight progressed, he was putting more and more weight into his punches.

By the third round, Fury was already beginning to slowly dominate. He was subtly chipping away at Whyte with his left, at times tantalizing his challenger by switching stances that seemed to wrong-foot and befuddle Whyte even more. Always a rather flat-footed fighter, Fury’s nimbleness was making Dillian seem pedestrian and clumsy.

Whyte was already breathing heavily by the 4th stanza and showed some signs of growing frustration as he attempted to drag Fury into a mauling brawl. There were some ugly clinches and wrestling, as the referee seemed to struggle to retain control of the fighters. One such mauling clinch ended with a head butt from Whyte, which ironically resulted in a cut above his right eye.

Fury stepped the pace up in the 5th and some blows visibly hurt Whyte. As well as regularly spearing his challenger with a damaging straight left, Fury was also hurting Whyte with rights to the body. When he returned to his corner at the end of the round, Fury seemed to say to his cornermen ‘Next round’.

The conclusion came near the end of what had been a fairly quiet round. Fury patiently looked for his opening while he jabbed with his left, and Whyte was seemingly out of ideas and constantly tried to hold and maul the champion. When the opening came Fury took it with deadly precision. The end came via a peach of a right uppercut, which deposited Whyte flat on his back. Fury’s hand speed, accuracy, and underrated ability on the inside all came to play into the dramatic finish of this match.

To his credit, Whyte beat the count and tried to convince the referee that he was ok to continue. However, his wobbly and uncoordinated body betrayed the fact that his brain was no longer in charge of his faculties, and the referee’s decision to stop the fight was probably his best action of the night.

It was a brilliant performance by Tyson, who ended the fight unmarked and had barely taken a serious punch. He had outclassed ‘The Body Snatcher’ and underlined his standing in the heavyweight division. Tyson stands head and shoulders over the rest of the division, not just physically, but in all areas which make up a top pugilist.

If anything, judging by this performance, at 34 years of age, Tyson is still improving. After a career plagued by inactivity, (which was usually down to outside issues out of his control) Tyson was finally able to give us a glimpse of what he can do when he is fully trained, healthy, and not coming off a long layoff. Despite the wars with Wilder, Tyson seems to still have a lot left in the tank and a lot more to show if he faces a challenger capable of pushing him more than Dillian Whyte did Saturday night. Should he walk away now while still at his peak? It is a question, which only Tyson Fury himself should decide. Retirement has always been the biggest challenge for most fighters, especially when they are at or near the top of the tree.

Team Fury Celebrating

If he does walk away now, Tyson Fury would be in rare company. Only one other world heavyweight champion has ever retired undefeated while champion and stayed retired, and that was the legendary Rocky Marciano.

Ironically, Britain’s last outstanding world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was also one of the very few to walk away while still world champion, but he was not undefeated, like the ‘Gypsy King’.

On one hand, it would be nice to see Fury face the winner of Usyk vs Joshua, ‘The Gypsy King’ brings an atmosphere and excitement to boxing that no one else can match at the moment, certainly in the heavyweight division. If this was Fury’s final boxing match, then he will most definitely be missed. Yet in a way, it would be fitting for Fury to once more mark himself out from the crowd and walk away from boxing despite the riches he can still make from it. A match with either Usyk or Joshua could earn Fury as much as 100 million pounds. But Fury gives the impression that he is tired of dealing with the constant petty politics that comes with dealing with Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn.

While Tyson was brilliant, when looking at Dillian Whyte’s performance, one does have to wonder whether all the preflight shenanigans, such as Whyte refusing to take part in the fight promotional press conferences and the long-running row regarding the cut of his purse, ended up hurting Dillian rather than Fury. ‘The Body Snatcher’ never seemed as fired up, as you would expect for someone finally getting the chance to fight for the world heavyweight championship. Even on his ring entrance, the challenger seemed strangely subdued and almost drained. One also has to question the tactics that Whyte used during the fight. It seemed Dillian's best chance of victory was to try and land one of his big shots. Yet too often he was trying to box with Tyson rather than drag him into a toe-to-toe war. In the end, Whyte seemed to find Tyson too strong as well as too fast and skillful.

Ultimately Whyte did not look like a challenger who believed that he could win. Something which was betrayed by his pre-fight behavior.

As the dust settles on Saturday night it seems that Dillian Whyte is attempting to excuse his defeat with some bizarre claims, the like of which even Deontay Wilder would have been embarrassed to attempt. In the end, it seems that the hapless Whyte (after receiving a career-high purse for a world title fight that he didn’t deserve) is unable to even be a graceful loser.

Fury has done more than enough in and out of the ring to deserve a long and happy retirement. He has battled back from mental health and substance abuse issues which put him in such a state that many found it laughable when he announced his comeback. Incredibly, what a comeback it has been, despite those who still doubted him (including right up to Saturday’s fight!). Tyson has fought back from being a mental and physical wreck to undoubtedly the number one heavyweight in the world and the best heavyweight of his generation. A victory over either Usyk or Joshua would mean little now in the grand scheme of things. Neither man seems to be a true threat to Fury.

Fury has many other opportunities away from boxing, whether it is as an actor, trainer, or even a promoter. It would be sad to see him make the mistake of so many others by staying too long. There will always be more challengers and fights to take. In the end, too many great fighters find themselves ground down by it all until they are beaten and defeated.

Carry on being different Tyson and walk away now.

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Tyson Fury Vs. Dillian Whyte Preview: Can the Body Snatcher Ruin the Homecoming of The Gypsy King?

By Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove 

When Tyson Fury defends his WBC world heavyweight championship against Dillian Whyte, on April 23rd, at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium, it will be the biggest heavyweight fight in Britain since the classic match between Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno almost 29 years ago. (Ironically, that clash was also for the WBC world heavyweight championship). Having two British fighters facing each other for boxing's biggest prize is an occasion that many British fight fans could only dream about in the not-too-distant past. Indeed, it is a rarity that has only occurred between Bruno and Lewis in modern boxing history. Despite the fact that Britain has found itself, over the past half-decade, in the almost surreal position of being home to the vast majority of the world's top heavyweights. This unlikely domination has seen a portion of the fractured world heavyweight crown being held by either Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua since 2015. For a brief time, both Fury and Joshua held all the major world championship belts between them at the same time, and a showdown between the two for the right to be the undisputed champion of the world seemed tantalizingly close. Undoubtedly, if the boxing world wasn't so riven with a mixture of political, financial, and egotistical maneuverings, Britain’s boxing fans would already have seen a colossal match for the undisputed heavyweight crown between two British fighters long before the upcoming April 23rd clash between Fury and Whyte. Arguments inevitably rage on both sides as to who is most at fault for Fury Vs. Joshua not materializing, (hereafter all was a fight which could have been the biggest sports event ever in Britain). Ultimately Joshua's defeat to Alexandra Usyk last year scuppered any plans for a showdown with Fury in the foreseeable future. There seems to be more than a likelihood that the long-anticipated clash will never take place, especially with Fury’s recent statements that the match with Whyte will be his last professional boxing fight.

So we are left with Fury vs. Whyte rather than Fury vs. Joshua, not what was expected or hoped for by many, but a fight that isn’t without the interesting intangibility that may well serve to make it an exciting match.

The fight has already seen a somewhat curious build-up due to Dillian Whyte's bizarre behaviour. Whyte has seemingly taken grave offense at only being given a 20% cut of the fight purse, despite that 20% adding up to be the largest purse of his career (6mil) by a significant way.

In a prolonged hissy fit, more worthy of a Hollywood diva than a professional boxer, Whyte left it until almost the final hour before signing the fight contracts, yet even since signing the contracts, he has continued to complain and seemingly do as much as he could to disrupt the fight. Whyte has continued to rage at almost everything to do with the fight's promotion and has taken the extraordinary step of refusing to take part in the promotional press conferences, which are always part of the run-up to such big fights.

It is an extraordinary situation to have the challenger for the world heavyweight championship refusing to participate in the pre-fight conferences, even to the extent of asking for his image to be removed from the fight's posters!

Is Dillian's behavior simply a rather long and self-indulgent temper tantrum, or is there some kind of method or theory behind his rather childish 'madness'?

Whyte's long time promoter Eddie Hearn has claimed that the 'The Bodysnatcher's behavior, while born out of genuine displeasure at his share of the spoils of the fight, is also at least partly aimed at getting under the champion Tyson Fury's skin and upsetting his mental balance in the run-up to the fight.

However, this seems to be a good exercise of whistling in the wind by Eddie (who seems unable to stop talking about a fight which he claims he is relieved not to be promoting). Indeed, if you can believe that Eddie Hearn is happy not to be playing any part in the biggest heavyweight fight in a British ring this century, then you probably also believe in the tooth fairy and the world is flat.

The truth is that Tyson Fury, after overcoming his widely-known mental health issues in the past, seems to have built up immunity to the various mind games and outside-the-ring intrigues of his fistic opponents. After withstanding the outrageous (and at times libelous) boasts, claims, and insults of Deontay Wilder throughout their now-classic trilogy, it is difficult to envisage Fury being mentally wrong-footed by Dillian Whyte's childish and unprofessional antics. All the indications so far are that Fury is more amused than disturbed by Whyte's own little personal drama show.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, with Dillian becoming 'the invisible challenger' due to his absence from the pre-fight pressers, the promotion of Fury vs. Whyte has become the Tyson Fury show, something which, in all honesty, it was always destined to be.

However, this has done little to dampen the eagerness of the fans to fill Wembley stadium to its full capacity, to witness the 'Gypsy King's homecoming live (the fight will now be watched by a crowd of 94,000, after selling its original allocation of 85,000 tickets in just 3 hours!)

The truth is that Whyte may well have shot himself in the foot with his constant protests and boycott of the press conferences. Despite his high standing in the WBC rankings and popularity on Eddie Hearn's shows, Dillian’s image and status in the wider boxing world remain several levels below Fury's. Whyte remains relatively unknown outside of the UK, while Tyson Fury is now a huge boxing star worldwide.

This fight was Whyte's chance to boost his standing considerably, win or lose, and by deciding not to take part in the fight's promotional machine, Whyte runs the risk of making himself just an afterthought in the fight unless he was to pull off a huge upset and defeat Fury. One does have to wonder about Whyte's state of mind and how confident he is in reality about being able to win the world title. Has Whyte's focus been too much on protesting the terms of his contract rather than concentrating on getting ready to beat Fury inside the ring? Whyte did previously turn down a rematch with Anthony Joshua for the world title at stake back in 2019 due to the purse of 3 million not being enough, with the chance instead falling into the generous lap of Andy Ruiz, and we all know what happened next! Whyte may have lost the best chance he will ever get of being world heavyweight champion on that night.

Of course, if Whyte was to upset Fury, his eccentric antics in the build-up to the match would be hailed as a masterstroke. But does Whyte have any chance of pulling off the upset?

Judging by the formbook, the answer seems to be a resounding, no.
Fury is a faster, stronger, and far more adaptable boxer than Dillian. After being known primarily for his elusive boxing skills earlier in his career, Tyson has shown in recent years that he can also stand his ground and go toe-to-toe with opponents and has dispelled doubts about his ability to punch his weight. In his trilogy with Deontay Wilder, the Gypsy King displayed his versatility by first out-boxing, then out-slugging 'The Bronze Bomber.'

Dillian Whyte, on the other hand, is a bit of a plodder. He is a flat-footed fighter who relies more on his brute strength than his boxing skills to win fights. One comparison which can be drawn between Whyte and Fury is their respective matches against Derek Chisora. Both have fought Chisora twice, but while Fury emerged victorious twice with relative ease, Dillian had to wade through two toe-to-toe slugfests before grabbing a debatable point's decision in their first match, followed by a last gasp knockout win in their rematch. Styles make fights, of course, but Whyte and Fury's respective encounters against Chisora can also be seen as a clue to the difference in levels between Tyson and Dillian. The Gypsy King seems clear to be a level above Whyte.

In truth, Whyte is lucky even to be having this shot at the world title after being knocked out in 5 rounds by the somewhat ancient Alexander Povetkin in his last but one outing. Although Dillian gained revenge in a rematch some five months later, this victory was somewhat tarnished by the aging Povetkin entering the fight after only recently recovering from Covid. Indeed, Whyte has only fought four times since 2019 and has not been overly impressive in his most recent outings. Before his shock knockout defeat to Alexander Povetkin on August 22nd, 2020, Whyte had been unimpressive in a 10-round point win over Mariusz Wach, eight-month earlier.

Photo: Dailymail Uk

Although Whyte avenged his sudden, one-punch knockout by Povetkin in their rematch seven months later, the Povetkin he faced in their second fight was a visibly much more faded version of Povetkin, with the muted ‘action’ ending in the 4th round after Povetkin was stopped following a knockdown. Although Whyte gained the victory, it was a difficult fight with which to gauge Whyte's form and judge whether the knockout to Povetkin had left any lasting mark. Indeed, Povetkin had looked as if a strong gust of wind would have knocked him down in this match.

Whyte has not fought since, meaning that when he enters the ring against Fury on April 23rd, (hopefully) it will be his first match in over a year. Certainly not ideal preparation for the biggest fight of your life.

Photo:The Mirror

Yet, as always, in heavyweight boxing, one punch can change everything, and Dillian certainly has the power to spring an upset if Tyson goes into this fight with the wrong attitude. Whyte's best chance of victory is if Fury has entered this match in the wrong frame of mind and is either unmotivated or taking Whyte for granted. This is possible when you have a fighter who is openly talking about retiring as Fury has been in recent weeks. Tyson has talked about retiring numerous times during his career and at one point walked away from the sport when his mental health and addiction problems overwhelmed him. Yet this regular talk of retirement seems to be a method Fury uses to psyche himself up and get himself more motivated for his matches, approaching each one with the attitude that it is his last. This seems to be borne out by the fact that for all his talk of retirement outside the ring, Tyson genuinely enjoys fighting. This was illustrated by Fury at one point exclaiming "I love this" during his match with Otto Wallin when he battled to victory despite a horrendously cut right eye. It was also on display during his three matches with Deontay Wilder when Fury seemed to relish the moments when Wilder had him hurt and coming back from the knockdowns which he suffered in the first and third fights. Indeed, heading into this defense against Whyte, it seems that Tyson is the fighter with the better form. Tyson will be having his second fight in 5 months, and the 3rd fight with Wilder will have taken off the rust that he collected during his most recent run of inactivity.

If the faded Povetkin at 41 can knock out Whyte, then the chances are that the Tyson Fury, who in recent years has begun to punch his weight, can stop Whyte as well.

Whyte has also shown a tendency to tire in the later rounds of fights, while Fury, despite his size, always seems to have good stamina going into later rounds of fights.

This is an intriguing fight and promises to be exciting whatever the outcome. Tyson Fury certainly doesn’t do dull, as he seems to have picked up the habit of providing fans with something dramatic in every fight recently.

Fury may box more in this match than he did in the second and third Wilder fights. Indeed Fury's reflexes and defense showed the rust of over two years of inactivity and preparation, which had been interrupted by a battle with covid and his newborn daughter's illness.

When he faces Whyte, 'The Gypsy King' is likely to be sharper and faster than he was in the final fight with Wilder, and he may well choose to give Whyte a boxing lesson in the early rounds before taking the fight to Wilder more in the later rounds.

Look for Tyson to win this match in an impressive fashion, in around 7 to 9 rounds. This is The Gypsy King's homecoming (and possibly even his final fight), in front of a record-breaking crowd, and he will be determined to win with an emphatic victory.

However, you can never dismiss a heavyweight with a decent punch, and Whyte is likely to have his moments in this fight, especially if Fury chooses to take the fight to Dillian early on. Fury will need to be sharp to stay away from Whyte's left hook and dangerous right hand, but if Tyson decides to box early he will most likely give Whyte a boxing lesson. Eventually, Fury's extra speed and strength will see him take over and wear down Whyte, and then we will see him start to pile on the pressure until the end comes with Whyte either counted out or stopped exhausted on his feet after about 7 to 9 rounds.

Whyte is likely about to find out that it will take more than some off-the-wall protests and a promotional strike to push Tyson Fury off his game plan. Fury has shown through his trilogy with Deontay Wilder that he has emerged from his much-publicized mental health issues and inactivity from the ring with a newfound mental strength, which will be more than enough to handle the kind of childish mind games that Dillian Whyte and his team seem to be employing. Indeed, just weeks away from fight night, Dillian's lawyer seems to be indicating that there is still a doubt over whether Whyte will take part in the fight. One wonders whether Whyte wants to fight for the world heavyweight championship at all; if he does, he has a very strange way of showing it at the moment.

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The 2015 Boxing Glove Awards: Britain's Fight of the Year: Joshua vs. Whyte

The Boxing Glove Awards 2015
Britain’s Fight of the Year

Anthony Joshua KO 7 Dillian Whyte,
December 12, 2015. 02 Arena, Greenwich, London. 
British, Commonwealth, and WBO International  Heavyweight titles.

Just two weeks after Tyson Fury performed his stunning upset triumph over Wladimir Klitschko, to take the World heavyweight championship, Anthony Joshua came through the first real test of his career with a stunning knockout.  In facing the unbeaten Dillian Whyte, Joshua was facing a man who had beaten him as an amateur, and the fight was fueled by a genuine mutual dislike on both sides.

The fight itself was exciting and explosive, with more drama than has been seen in a heavyweight title fight in Britain for many years.  After almost being stopped in the 1st round, Whyte came back to prove himself a worthy test for Joshua.  He shook up Joshua in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and was competitive right up to the dramatic finale when Joshua koed him with a monstrous uppercut in the 7th round.  This fight proved that Joshua has substance, as well as talent, he can take a punch, come back, go past the early rounds, and still retain his punching power.  What this fight also proved is that heavyweight boxing is alive like never before in Britain at the moment, and that a future showdown between Joshua, and Tyson Fury could be the biggest fight that has ever been seen on these shores in a while.

Watch Anthony Joshua Vs. Dillion Whyte:

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Anthony Joshua Knocks Out Dillian Whyte In 7th To Win Heavyweight Brawl

Photo:boxingscene.com

By Peter Silkov

Last night at London’s O2 Arena, Anthony Joshua took another step closer to a possible all British showdown with Tyson Fury for the World heavyweight title, with a brutal dispatching of Dillian Whyte. It was a rough, exciting, and bad tempered fight between the two undefeated prospects, whose much-voiced dislike for each other in the build up to this fight was clearly not for show. In essence, it was just what people used to expect from heavyweight boxing, two big men who don’t particularly like each other, trying to knock each other out.

Photo:Boxingscene.com

Joshua started fast, as he tried to dismiss Whyte with the speed that he has dispatched in his previous 13 professional opponents. It looked as if Whyte would do well to last the first round, as he came under a explosive onslaught that had him rocking on his heels for most of the opening round. Yet, Whyte showed that he has a good chin and big heart, and kept his feet, while trying to fight back with a resilience that Joshua had not yet encountered during his fledgling professional career. The 1st round ended in chaos when Joshua landed a punch straight after the bell, and Whyte retaliated with several punches of his own, even going so far as to punch over the referee at Joshua.  The ring was then invaded by several very large men, who broke up the fighters, and dragged each man back to his own corner. 

At this point, Joshua seemed to think that he had Whyte beaten, but he was in for a surprise in the 2nd round.  Showing excellent recuperative powers, Whyte seemed to have recovered his composure from the start of the 2nd round and as Joshua came in on the attack, Whyte shook him up with some heavy punches of his own.  It was the first time in his professional career that Joshua has been caught cleanly and hurt, and he seemed troubled for the rest of the round. In the 3rd, Joshua took back control of the fight, but with an air of caution now, as he knew that Whyte was still dangerous with his own punches.  Rounds 4 to 7 saw both men looking to land big punches, with Whyte showing some good boxing skills as he jabbed and countered at the marauding Joshua, who came forward with his heavy jabs, and was always looking to land a finishing punch. The main difference between both fighters was clearly Joshua’s extra strength and punching power, which is beyond doubt at this stage, truly world class.

Photo: Daily Mail

As the fight went into the 7th round, there was the suspicion that Joshua might be tiring, as his punches no longer seemed to carry the weight that they had in the earlier rounds. However, midway through the round, Joshua landed a huge right hand to Whyte’s left temple, which had the effect of making Whyte’s leg’s turn to jelly.  Sensing blood, Joshua unleashed a two-fisted barrage that had a groggy Whyte staggering into the ropes. At this point, Joshua landed a vicious uppercut that sent Whyte toppling down onto his back, with his left arm draped over the ropes. With victory, came the vacant British Heavyweight title to add to the Commonwealth championship, which Joshua already held. It was a brutal and stunning finish by Joshua, who by coming through this test showed that there is indeed substance to the hype that surrounds him. He certainly is powerful and exciting, and has now shown that he can take a decent punch and come back from not having things all his own way.  However, this match also revealed that Joshua is by no means the finished article yet, and could do with quite a bit more experience before he takes on Tyson Fury, or even Deontay Wilder. Joshua needs at least two or three more fights like this one in order to develop to the stage where he will be ready to challenge for the world title.

There are rumours that Joshua will fight Derek Chisora next, and that is probably an ideal match up for Joshua at this point in his career. With Joshua on the rise, and Tyson Fury the reigning World heavyweight champion, and both Dereck Chisora and David Haye on the come back trail, the British heavyweight scene is really alive right now, with the prospect of several all British showdowns. As for the beaten Dillian Whyte, if he can get past the physical and mental blows of his defeat to Joshua, then he can still feature in some interesting fights in the future. After his performance on Saturday night, no one would begrudge him a second chance at Joshua. 

The undercard at London’s O2 Arena featured several outstanding fights, and a number of upsets.

The lightweight division saw two of Britain’s top lightweight hopes come up short, as both Kevin Mitchell and Luke Campbell came up short against their respective opponents. While Campbell is young enough to come back from his defeat, it looks as if Mitchells dream of becoming a world champion may finally be over.

In what was billed as being for the Interim WBA world lightweight title, Mitchell was facing a largely unknown Venezuelan, Ismael Barroso, who had fought just 20 fights in a 10-year career, but was unbeaten, with 17 of his 18 victories coming via knockouts. At first glance, Barroso looked closer to 40 than his advertised 32 years of age, with the kind of face that betrays a hard life. As soon as the fight began, it became clear that Mitchell was in for a tough night, as Barroso was revealed as being a very slick and competent boxer, rather than a gung-ho puncher simply looking to land the big punch. Both men fought cautiously in the 1st round, weighing each other up, but by the 2nd, Barroso had edged ahead with an accurate and heavy, southpaw jab.  By the 3rd round, Mitchell already seemed to be wary of his opponent’s power, and was looking to counter on the retreat, while Barroso continued to come menacingly forwards, showing fast hands, and a slashing southpaw jab.

Getty Images

The 4th round saw Mitchell hit the deck momentarily as he tried to avoid a big right hand from Barroso, and seemed to have tripped over his opponent’s feet. Although Mitchell was given a count, it didn’t seem to be a genuine knockdown. Yet, it would prove to be a portent of what was to come in the next round.

In the 5th round, after stalking a retreating Mitchell for much of the round, Barroso suddenly sent Mitchell flying to the canvas with a single right hand. Although he beat the count, Mitchell was visibly shaken, and the Venezuelan suddenly went into a higher gear, driving Mitchell into a corner, where he bombarded him with a shower of punches. Mitchell bravely tried to fight his way out of the corner, but was battered back into the ropes, at which point the referee jumped in and stopped the fight, just as Mitchell was falling once more to the canvas.        

It was a brutal defeat for Mitchell, who had been hoping to win this fight and then challenge newly crowned WBA world champion Anthony Crolla.Instead it will be the hungry and dangerous Barroso who will go on to meet Crolla. Something that Crolla himself may well not be relishing.

With such an active domestic scene in the lightweight division there are still some interesting and possibly lucrative fights out there for Kevin Mitchell, but this will be a hard defeat for him to return from.

While Mitchell was experiencing perhaps a career ending defeat, Luke Campbell suffered the first defeat of his still relatively young professional career. Campbell was clearly out-pointed and in many ways, exposed by Frenchman Yvan Mendy. After making a good start with his smooth boxing style, and edging out a lead over the first 4 rounds, Campbell was floored in the 5th and from then on, Mendy held the edge in the fight.  Mendy was landing the stronger shots and dictating the fight, while Campbell tried to control things with his boxing, but was unable to make an impression against a fighter who seemed both physically stronger, and who also had the better defence. This defeat showed that Campbell is still some way from being ready for a world title shot. At this stage of his career, defeat could well be the best thing that could have happened to Campbell if he can learn from it and use it to come back a better fighter.

In a middleweight clash that was an eliminator for the right to fight for WBA world middleweight title sometime in the near future, Chris Eubank Jr. engaged in a free- swinging thriller with Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan. Both men went for broke from the start, in what was another clash, which had bad blood between both boxers. Eubank Jr. threw caution to the win as he tried to score an early knockout over O’Sullivan and came under some heavy fire himself in the process. The early rounds saw some breathtaking exchanges, with Eubank Jr.’s extra hand speed and variety of punch giving him the edge, but his disdain for defence often making it look like he was walking a tightrope between triumph, and disaster. In the 4th and 5th rounds, Eubank Jr. landed such a deluge of punches upon O’Sullivan that it seemed that the Irishman would fall under the weight of such savage attacks. O’Sullivan took the blows, including some full-blooded uppercuts that seemed to have come up from the floor, and kept fighting back. Such punishment takes its toll of even the most durable of men however, and by the 6th round, it was clear that O’Sullivan was drained by the punches he had taken, as he started focusing mainly on defence, rather than attacks of his own.

Getty Images

The 7th saw Eubank Jr. picking his punches and using his boxing skills more, in-between landing some heavy pot-shots upon O’Sullivan, whose own attacks had by now dwindled away to nothing. It still was a shock for some when O’Sullivan’s corner pulled him out after the end of the 7th round, and there was some loud and disappointing booing from some of the crowd. Yet, it was a wise decision to pull O’Sullivan out when they did as they obviously knew that he had little left in the tank, and that the only outcome if he had stayed in the fight was a prolonged beating or a knockout defeat.

It was an impressive performance from Eubank Jr., who showed by being the first man to stop O’Sullivan,that he may well have the talent to come out from the shadow of his famous Father. At times, Eubank Jr. shows flashes of the kind of talent that could make him an even better fighter than his Father. Eubank Jr. is an exciting fighter who if he can put all his talent together, looks certain to be a dangerous proposition for anyone at 160-pounds, including  Gennady Golovkin.

Photo: Kevin Quigley

Other results on the bill included.

Photo: Kevin Quigley

At Cruiserweight, Tony Bellew (25-2-1) out-pointed Mateusz Masternak (36-3) over 12 rounds, in a hard-hitting match, that featured some exciting exchanges between the two men. The win gave Bellew the European Cruiserweight title, and the hope of a world title shot sometime next year.

Former welterweight and light-welterweight world champion Paulie Malignaggi (34-7) out-pointed  (20-2-1) in an entertaining 12 rounds. While Paulie showed some nice boxing moves, he was also at times laboured, and struggled through the latter rounds. The victory gave Malignaggi the European Union welterweight title, but also underlined the fact that Paulie no longer has the speed and skills to operate at the highest level.

Photo: Skysports

Photo: Skysports

At heavyweight, Dereck Chicora (23-5) stopped the overmatched Jakov Gospic (16-13) in the 3rd round.  Chisora seems to be marking time until he gets a big fight chance, probably against Anthony Joshua early next year.

Promoter Eddie Hearn had delivered an entertaining bill of boxing. What a shame that it was confined to SKY Box Office, rather than being available to a wider audience.  The fact that this bill was on Sky box Office leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, for all those who want to see boxing made available to the wider public. Many people as possible should be able to see the action and excitement that the sport can produce at it’s best, but those days of free public broadcasting are largely gone. Hopefully, this trend of double price gouging does not continue, since many already pay for Sky, then have to pay to watch the matches.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes towww.theboxingglove.com

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Boxing Bonanza at the O2 Arena in London Saturday Night

By Peter Silkov

On Saturday, London will host a boxing bonanza at London’s O2 ARENA. Top of the bill is the heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua (14-0) and Dillian Whyte (16-0) for the British, Commonwealth, and WBC International Heavyweight titles. Both men are unbeaten, and this fight contains some personal history, as the two men fought twice back in their amateur days, with Whyte winning both. There seems to be plenty of needle between the two heavyweights, and this is a genuinely intriguing heavyweight showdown.  Beyond the hype, when both men are compared against each other, there looks to be only one winner, and that is Anthony Joshua. In a career that has yet to see him have to go past the 3rd round, Joshua still has a long way to go and many questions to answer, but there is little doubt that he is a world class fighter with considerable punching power.

Photo: mirror.uk.com

Whyte on the other hand, while being a good fighter, has the look of being a level below that of Joshua. Everyone knows that anything can happen in heavyweight boxing, it only takes one mistake and one punch, when the fighters are so big. This is certainly Joshua’s most dangerous opponent yet, and it will be interesting to see what might happen if Whyte connects with a solid punch to Joshua’s rather untested chin.  Barring any mishaps, Joshua should ease his way past Whyte, with a knockout win in the first 5 rounds.

Also on the bill Saturday night is the WBA world middleweight championship eliminator between Chris Eubank Jr (20-1) and Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan (22-1).  This is another grudge fight, with both men seeming to truly dislike each other. The ironic thing about this fight, as in the Joshua vs. Whyte fight, is that it doesn’t need a feud and a build up of animosity to make this match up interesting.  Both Eubank Jr. and O’ Sullivan have the kind of extrovert personalities and fighting styles that could make this clash one of the most entertaining fights of the year.  Again, it is a question of levels. Eubank Jr. seems to have the superior skills, and during his most recent contests, he has shown some breathtaking skills.  Eubank’s Achilles heel seems to be his lack of experience and a complex personality. While coming across as supremely confident, Eubank Jr. seemed to freeze for the first 5 rounds of his fight with Billy Joe Saunders, before ‘waking up’ in the 6th round, and taking over the fight to such an extent that many thought him unlucky not to get the decision against Saunders.  Eubank Jr. has come back with two wins since his only career defeat, and positive changes seem to have been made in his corner since the Saunders’ fight, most notably his Father’s role in the corner during a contest.  Against Dmitry Chudinov in February, Eubank Jr. was especially impressive, showing a mix of sublime boxing skill and vicious offense. There was also that impressive hand speed. On the minus side, Eubank Jr. also showed a tendency to a porous defence, and gives the impression of taking his opponents too lightly at times. Yet, there is no doubt that Eubank Jr. has the raw talent that could one day find him emulating his father and winning a world title, if he is guided properly and learns how to put it all together in the ring. So far, we have flashes of what might be in Eubank Jr.

Photo: Irish Post

The most intriguing thing about his match with O’Sullivan is that, this is the type of fight when we could see Eubank Jr. put everything together for the first time in the ring, and really show the kind of fighter that he can become. O’ Sullivan is a talented fighter in his own right, but does not have the depth of talent that Eubank Jr. has shown. Also, O’Sullivan’s aggressive style is suited to Eubank Jr.’s counter-punching skills. The biggest danger for Eubank Jr. in this contest is that he becomes too confident and allows himself to be drawn into a toe-to-toe encounter, rather than using his boxing skills to pick apart O’Sullivan. This could be a fiery contest with some good toe-to-toe action, but it will be Eubank Jr’s extra speed and boxing skills, which will be the difference. These should take him to a point’s victory over Sullivan, after a clash that may well be the fight of the night.

Photo: WBAnews

Kevin Mitchell (39-3) takes on Ismael Barroso (18-0-2) for the Interim WBA World Lightweight championship. Britains are having a golden time at 135 pounds at the moment and a win in this fight will put Mitchell in the mix for a string of big domestic showdowns against the likes of Terry Falagan, Luke Campbell, Anthony Crolla, Derry Mathews, and Ricky Burns.  This is a fight where Mitchell cannot afford any slip-ups. In his last contest seven months ago, Mitchell lost in a WBC world lightweight title challenge to Jorge Linares, after a brave performance that had seen him take an early lead, before Linares caught up with him and stopped him in the 10th round.  Barroso is an unknown quantity from Venezuela, who is unbeaten in a career that goes back to 2005. His 17 knockout wins indicate that he is the kind of fighter that Mitchell does not want to underestimate. Mitchell should have the skills and experience to handle Barroso, and put himself in line for another world title shot.

Tony Bellew (25-2-1) takes on Mateusz Masternak (36-3) for the vacant European Cruiserweight title, in what looks like being another interesting fight.  For Bellew this is a chance to work his way towards a possible world title shot at cruiserweight, after having failed to win a world title at light heavyweight.  However, Masternak is a tough opponent, and looks set to give Bellew his most challenging test since his move up to the cruiserweight division.

sky sports

Luke Campbell takes on Yvan Mendy for the WBC International Lightweight championship, in what is another step for Campbell towards an inevitable world title fight. Also on the undercard, will be Dereck Chisora, who is still rebuilding after his one sided defeat to Tyson Fury in November of last year. Chisora’s opponent has yet to be announced, but will not be anyone too dangerous as the possibility of a match up between Chisora and the winner of Joshua vs Whyte, is obviously something that promoter Eddie Hearn is looking towards.

All in all, it looks to be an exciting night of boxing, its just a real shame that promoter Eddie Hearn and Sky have decided to put this promotion on Sky Box Office, therefore limiting the fans access to one of the most attractive promotions of the year. You’d think that both Sky and Hearn were already getting enough from there shows so as not to need to dig even more money out of the viewer by using Sky Box Office. Apparently, there is no end to the thirst for new revenue, even if it’s at the long term cost of the sport itself. 

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes towww.theboxingglove.com