Kevin Mitchell's report of Whyte's knockout win
Ok. That’s your lot from me. It was an engrossing fight, and a fearsome finish, and it will be interesting to see how far Whyte can go now. For Chisora it’s another blow, but he was brave as a lion and hopefully he will be fine after that shuddering final blow. I’ll leave you with Kevin Mitchell’s report. Thanks for joining. Bye.
And here’s the report of Warrington’s surprise win over Frampton …
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Watch Whyte’s confrontation with Joshua after his stunning win against Chisora …
😲 @DillianWhyte just called out @anthonyfjoshua, and AJ was straight into the ring!
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) December 22, 2018
Will they face each other at Wembley in April? 😀 pic.twitter.com/EwEcupwrPk
Back up in Manchester Frank Warren described Warrington’s win over Frampton as “the best title fight I have ever seen in a British ring”. “That was probably one of the best title fights I have ever seen in my time in boxing,” he added in an interview with BBC 5 live. “It was pulsating, from the first bell onwards. It was amazing, I don’t know how these guys did what they did. Josh proved what he is. We know Carl’s been a great champion and a great fighter. And a special mention to Sean, his [Warrington’s] dad, if he’s not trainer of the year, then who is?” Warrington remains unbeaten.
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That left from Whyte really was something special. It wasn’t the most terrifying display from him but that thunderous finish will have sent shockwaves round the boxing world. He is obviously Joshua’s second choice opponent right now though, and that infuriates him. “The fans want me to fight Wilder,” says Joshua, obviously a bit annoyed at Whyte’s jibe. “But if we can’t get Wilder and and I knock Whyte out clean again I don’t want to hear people say that I took the easy option.”
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Warrington beats Frampton to retain IBF world featherweight title
The fight goes to the judges and it’s a unanimous decision for the champion. The scores are 116-113, 116-112, 116-112. He was too good, too strong., and Frampton admits it afterwards. “Josh won the fight fair and square,” he says. “No excuses from me.”
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Joshua steps into the ring smiling. “Forget all that he says, she says Dillian,” he retorts. “If anyone deserves a a title shot it’s Dillian. Deontay Wilder is the target but if not it’s Dillian Whyte.”
Whyte speaks and abuses Joshua
“I hurt him in the first round and I thought relax,” says Whyte. “I knew it would come. He kept on making the same mistake, bobbing and weaving. That was the money shot right there, I will always land it at some point. I’m a warrior, I want a scrap but I was pacing myself, I knew it was gonna come. I’m No 1baby, let’s go”
Then he points at Joshua and says: “I want that lanky piece of shit next”.
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Chisora is sitting in his chair in the corner. He seems to be OK. And interestingly the judges scores at the time of the knockout had him ahead, despite the points deductions. Two judges had him ahead 95-94, one had Whyte in front by the same score.
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Chisora looked like he was out before he hit the floor from that thunderous left. He’s flat on his back for a while, unmoved. There is concern but soon he’s sitting up. Whyte does not celebrate out of respect to his opponent. Incredible courage from Chisora. Incredible punching from Whyte.
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Whyte knocks out Chisora
Round 11
Whyte is still picking off Chisora, saving his energy apparently. Chisora has another point taken off, this time for an elbow. His corner go mad. Chisora looks shellshocked. Whyte piles forward again, looking to pounce on his opponent’s dismay. A flurry of punches ends with a mighty left hook from Whyte and Chisora hits the floor. He’s knocked out cold. Whyte has won in stunning style.
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Round 10
Whyte looks the fresher fighter, timing his jabs and unleashing them with more menace now. His scoring shots will be making the difference in the judges’ eyes, but Chisora is so brave. On and on he comes, like a mighty bear, but his shots are ragged. His work to the body has not take the sting out of Whyte yet. A quickfire combination from Whyte rocks back Chisora’s head, but he will not take a step backwards. Hearn thinks Chisora’s ahead, so does Haye, but he is their man. Whyte is probably just ahead for the neutral. Six minutes left.
Round nine
Chisora comes out swinging again, maybe mindful of that point deduction. “Pure warrior sprit,” says Joshua, and he’s not wrong. Whyte is now going to the body, finishing one combo with a left to the body. Chisora comes back with a stinging right to the head. There are some tired punches from Chisora and he has to be careful. Whyte picks him off with a rasping left. These are the championship rounds now. “It’s level, level, level,” barks Haye in the corner.
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Ten rounds gone in Manchester and Warrington looks strong. Frampton needs to step it up to take the title.
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Round eight
Whyte continues to bide his time and then similes briefly after landing a good body shot. Is he being tactical? The referee warns Chisora again. Next time will be a point deduction. He looks bemused, and slightly fraught. Whyte comes on strong again, and then Chisora does have a point deducted for a low blow. This is not a good round for him, but he ends it by landing a massive right. Whyte is hurt but recovers. This is building to a big finale.
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Round seven
Joshua says he has the fight level, but Chisora gets the crowd going again by steaming forward and swinging with his head down. They love him here, and the support will drive him on. Chisora pins Whyte in the corner and pounds away at the body, then the head. Whyte escapes, Chisora stumbles then comes again. He’s on top now, and Jarrell Miller agrees. The Big Baby, as he is known, is watching and says if Whyte fought like this against him it would be “goodnight”.
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Round six
Chisora definitely looks fitter than we’ve ever seen him and unleashes an overhand right. Whyte rides it well though, and keeps firing off the jab. The punch count is lower now, the hugs longer and more frequent. Chisora backs Whyte on to the ropes again, unleashing one, two, three haymakers in quick succession. Whyte takes them well though, and at the halfway stage this is even. Who will tire first? Can Chisora keep this up? Will Whyte become more aggressive?
Frampton has recovered well in Manchester. Seven rounds gone and it’s a war. Anyone’s guess who will win that one.
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Round five
Both men looked momentarily refreshed by the break and Chisora rocks back Whyte with a might combination. He looks so determined, like he will not be denied. He resfues to take a step back despite a sharp left from Whyte. The crowd roar after another Chisora right but then Whyte’s fires out a rapid flurry of counter punches. Chisora is warned for the use of the head as he struggles for air. But he’s straight back at Whyte, working the body and ends the round with a nice left hook. This fight is very even.
Round four
The pace is relentless. There’s no way these two huge men can keep up this pace. Whyte lands a big right but Chisora shakes it off. He keeps coming, bending down los and pummelling Whyte’s body. Joshua says Chisora’s gameplan is to slow Whyte down. This is an old fashioned scrap, and Chisora lets rip with a thunderous left. Both men look tired already, at any moment one of them could get floored by a mighty blow. But they survive the round and Haye gets to work in Chisora’s corner.
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Round three
Whyte comes bouncing out of his corner but Chsiora unloads a couple of big punches. He seems to be moving slightly better, but then puts a shoulder in during a hold. It’s effective though, the crowd getting louder and bellowing him to attack. Chisora forces Whyte on to the ropes with a couple of mighty body shots. He keeps coming, swinging in mighty looking punches. Some are quite low, then Whyte lands a jack-knife uppercut. The referee steps between the fighters as they trade blows after the bell.
Round two
Chisora is on the front foot but Whyte is pounding out big rights on the counter. He’s the more skilled boxer, and looks relaxed and assured. Chisora comes in close again, but cannot find his range. He ploughs forward, trying to bully Whyte but he’s not to be moved. The round ends with the two men all tangled up on the ropes. That’s the old Chisora. Grappling after the bell. The referee is not happy.
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Three rounds gone in Manchester and Warrington is on top, pressurising Frampton.
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Round one
Let’s go to work, says the referee and they do. Whyte is in blue shorts, Chisora in grey; and he starts fastest. Chsiora said he would steam forward and the crowd are roaring him on to do that. Whyte rocks Chisora back with a heavy right though, then another. Whyte doesn’t capitalise though. Chisora composes himself after his legs looked a little unsteady and lands a blow of his own. Whyte’s reach is longer and he is staying out of range and punching on the counter. Whyte wins the first round.
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“It’s squeaky bum time for Dillian now,” says Joshua. Whyte is the slight favourite. Up in Manchester, Warrington and Frampton are about to start at almost exactly the same time. Of course they are.
Whyte gets booed when his name is announced. An electric blue dressing gown draped over his body. The traditional wolf howl welcomes him. He walks slowly, his eyes darting from side to side. He’s focused. He won the first fight by the narrowest of margins, and has promised a much more commanding win tonight.
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Chisora enters the ring to Hotel California. He’s got that silly face mask on again. What is that. It’s got Union Jack on it. Covering his face form his nose down. He has one fist raised to all corners of the arena. The crowd serenade him. Now it’s Whyte.
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David Haye has retired but he still knows how to talk up a fight, even from his position in the Chisora corner. “Dereck’s spirits are high,” says Haye, his former rival turned mentor. “He’s loose, he’s relaxed he’s confident. The doubts he used to have are gone but if they do com back he can look to the side and see a legacy of hard work. His timing has come together tonight and the fans are in for one hell of a treat as this is going to be a toe to toe slugfest like never before.”
Tony Bellew says the first fight between Whyte and Chisora was the best fight he’s ever seen live. He knows both fighters, but is a Chisora man now. “Dereck is like family to me so I’m worried, I’m anxious,” Bellew says candidly. “Dillian’s vastly improved but Dereck’s coming off the best fight of his career. People are in store for an amazing fight but Dereck’s in the shape of his life. His tenacity and sheer will to win will get him through. I think he’ll find a way. I think it could be a late stoppage.”
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With Whyte and Chisora next, here is a reminder of what happened at the press conference before their first fight. Warning: bad language and damage to a table …
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“The shot was already gone before I heard anything,” says Buatsi, of the controversial punch that dropped Quinlan the first time. “We are fighting at close quarters. You protect yourself at all times. But I’m glad he’s OK.” Quinlan was unfortunate but it would be hard to argue Buatsi did a lot wrong there. He was won nine out of nine fights now. Hearn gets booed again. Don’t remember his dad getting this. “He’s a big cheese init,” says Joshua by way of explanation.
Buatsi stops Quinlan in the first round
Buatsi is a sparkling prospect, and an Anthony Joshua protege – but this is a big step up. No problem, though. He knocks the experienced Australian down twice in the first round and the referee stops the fight. It’s fearsome boxing, but there is some controversy about whether the first big punch was thrown after the boxers were told to break. This is a future world championship contender we are watching. Joshua will be pleased, and so will the fans. Because Whyte v Chisora is up next.
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Next up is Joshua Buatsi v Renold Quinlan and the way this is looking it’ll probably be an hour before Chisora and Whyte land a punch on each other. We may get a bit of Warrington v Frampton first though, which would be a bonus.
“That’s for you mum, that’s for you,” says Edwards. “I’m so obsessed with this sport, I live it day, in day out. When I haven’t got a fight I’m depressed. I want to unify the division. When I took this fight It’s cos I’m ready for anyone and everyone. I’m not here to dodge anyone.”
Eddie Hearn is the one who will plan Edwards’s next move. Hearn takes the mic and is booed by the crowd. “Leave it out,” he says. “it’s Christmas and it’s not even the main event yet.” Not too long now.
Edwards beats Rosales on points to win WBC world flyweight title
Rosales fires off a big shot at the start of the final round and stalks Edwards to the finish, landing a couple more telling blows. He is finally finding his target on a regular basis but Edwards stays strong and knocks the champion out of his stride with a flurry of punches. At the bell Edwards drops to the floor in celebration and rolls around on the floor cuddling his cornerman. Rosales is more muted in his celebrations. The commentators think the Briton has got this and so do the crowd. The judges agree. It’s unanimous; 118-110, 117-111, 116-112. Edwards is in dreamland.
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Sunny Edwards reckons his brother Charlie is on course to win this fight, although he admits Rosales is “coming on strong”. Sunny is biased, no doubt, but he is also a fine boxer so should kno his stuff, even if his leg is in a cast. Ten rounds gone in this now and it’s anyones fight to win in the last two.
“I interviewed Tim Witherspoon before a bout in the twilight of his career in 2002,” Greg Phillips reveals promisingly over email, from the US I’d suggest judging by his spellings. “He said he would be ‘strategizing and scenarioizing,’ a phrase I liked so much I have used it ever since. I didn’t get to see him fight that night. He was up after the headliners, and while I was filing my story from the main event, he knocked out his opponent in the first round.”
It’s a fear us bloggers have every day Greg.
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Anthony Joshua is suited and booted, all in black, as he arrives to run the rule over his next opponent. He is due to fight the winner of this fight at Wembley on 13 April, and he would probably see as Chisora as the easier opponent than Whyte, I would think. We’ll no more in a couple of hours no doubt.
The World Heavyweight Champ @anthonyfjoshua has arrived @TheO2 for #WhyteChisora2 🔥 pic.twitter.com/j3nkemVrxx
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 22, 2018
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In the ring at the O2 Charlie Edwards is six rounds into his attempt to take Cristofer Rosales’s WBC world flyweight title. The Briton is boxing well, always on the move and firing off some decent shots on the counter. The Nicaraguan champion is being made to miss a lot and getting a little frustrated but there’s a long way to go here.
Up in Manchester, Frampton and Warrington have arrived at the venue. Ludicrously both fights are billed to start at around 10pm, the legacy of the long-running bad blood between Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren. There was some talk that Warrington v Frampton may start a bit earlier but that’s all down to the fights on the undercard really, so watch this space.
🌟 MAIN EVENT ARRIVALS 🌟
— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) December 22, 2018
Both challenger and champion are in the building now ahead... it’s getting closer!! 🤯
Join us live on @btsport box office 📺 #WarringtonFrampton @J_Warrington @RealCFrampton pic.twitter.com/b75Zyx0yd0
Dillian Whyte is in the building. He looks calm, relaxed and confident; but then they always do beforehand. It’s afterwards you worry about. Whyte’s known as the Body Snatcher, but a good friend of mine has sat down for family meals with the fearsome boxer and says he is as gentle and polite as they come. Let me know if you’ve met either man, or any other boxer for that matter. Maybe they’re all Anthony Joshua’s away from the ring?
Takam wins and calls out Chisora
The fighting is well underway at the O2 and Carlos Takam finished his night’s work by telling Dereck Chisora “I want you next”. The 38-year-old Frenchman was brutally destructive in his fight against Senad Gashi on tonight’s undercard, dropping his opponent three times and winning by a knockout in the seventh round.
Preamble
So here we go again. Two years ago Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora served up the sort of epic fight that can restore one’s faith in heavyweight boxing, which was especially timely considering the rancour, aggression and table throwing that had soured its buildup. The antics in the pre-fight press conference were so embarrassing that the British heavyweight title was taken off the line for that bout. But the action in Manchester on fight night was so good that it went down as one of the best the UK has seen in recent memory.
Tonight the two Londoners take their rivalry back to their home city with Chisora looking leaner and meaner than ever before. He also has David Haye in his corner, and harbours a real sense of injustice from the first fight with Whyte. His opponent, though, has moved up a few levels in the heavyweight boxing pecking order since then and is now looking to rule the world one day. Whoever wins will get to challenge for Anthony Joshua’s three world titles at Wembley Stadium on 13 April, so this should be a cracker. Ring walks are expected at around 10pm.
I’ll also endeavour to keep you updated on Carl Frampton’s attempt to take Josh Warrington’s IBF featherweight title at Manchester Arena.
