This was meant to be the fight that ascertained once and for all who deserves their place at the front of the heavyweight queue, the fight that ordained the opponent in waiting for the likes of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. And yet after a wild night in front of a sell-out queue at The O2, the picture appears to be more muddled than ever. Dillian Whyte picked himself up off the canvas to beat Joseph Parker -- but only just.
Many had doubted whether Whyte would make it this far. After that wild loss to Joshua, under these very same lights over three years ago, he had elected to take the long road back to headline nights such as these. Ultimately this stands as his most significant win yet, roughing up a former world champion that Joshua had instead kept at arm's length, before picking himself up off the canvas to claim his reward.
But he has some serious work to do before any world title shot, and he knows it.
"I would like to fight Joshua again if he wants it, but I've still got a lot to learn so I would like to get one more in before him," he said in the ring after his brutal victory, over drunken cheers that fizzled out appropriately. "I am just annoyed I slipped at the final hurdle in the last round. I was rocked and so I had to take a knee."
He had started so well. Disciplined, but happy to stand and trade with the Kiwi, repeatedly roughing him up on the ropes. And the contest seemed as good as won in the ninth, after several dominant Whyte rounds. A punishing combo complete with a devastating uppercut left Parker in a heap on the canvas, only narrowly surviving the count. But three rounds later and it was Whyte on the deck, with Parker coming up just short.
"I gave it my best, the better man won, but I will come back stronger," a gracious Parker was quick to comment after the fight. "This was a great opportunity to come and fight in the UK for the third time. We knew it would be a tough challenge, Whyte was so strong and is still progressing, but we are still young."
What a difference four months makes in this sport. As recently as March, Parker returned to this country having beaten Hughie Fury with a world title around his waist, with legitimate hopes of becoming the first heavyweight in history to unify the only four titles that matter. Two fights later and he leaves with a thoroughly blemished record, having lost his golden ticket to the fights that matter.
Whyte will now assess his options, with one final tune-up on the cards ahead of the world title shot that he has chased for so long. One potential opponent is Dereck Chisora, who re-staked his claim for a piece of the heavyweight pie with an incredible knockout win over the obstinate Carlos Takam.
Chisora, who lost a split decision to Whyte back in December 2016, was on the verge of defeat against Takam until an extraordinary eighth round, when a destructive overhand right sent Takam sprawling. The Frenchman managed to pick himself up, only to walk onto a second seconds later.
"It's up to these fans who I fight next. Whoever wants it can have it," Chisora said immediately after his win. "But I definitely want the winner of the main event."
Elsewhere, Ireland's Katie Taylor enjoyed a rather more routine night in the office, stopping mandatory challenger Kimberly Connor in the third round to defend her IBF and WBA lightweight titles.
"Kimberly was tough. I happened to catch her with a good shot, stayed composed, and got a good finish," Taylor said. "I've got two belts. Two more to go." She next fights Cindy Serrano in October, as part of the first Matchroom USA event to be carried on the DAZN streaming service.
