Tyson Fury retained his WBC heavyweight title after knocking out former interim heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte with a vicious uppercut this past Saturday.
Tyson Fury extended his unbeaten career to 32 wins with a knockout of Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of the contest. ‘The Gypsy King’ made his intentions of retiring after the fight clear leaving space open for only exhibit or fun fights such as a potential match with Francis Ngannou.
Whyte was not happy with the outcome as he claimed the knock-out blow to be illegal. He reasoned it to be a two-handed shove that caused him to hit the canvas rather than the uppercut. Speaking to Sky Sports after the fight, Whyte discussed his KO defeat to Fury insisting on a rematch due to the alleged illegal nature of the win.
"I hope he doesn't retire because I want another go"
Dillian Whyte discusses his KO defeat to Tyson Fury
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 25, 2022
"I hope he doesn't retire because I want another go"
“He full-on pushed me and I fell over and hit my head on the canvas, which is illegal,’ Whyte said. ‘This ain’t wrestling, this is boxing. But, you know, you let Fury do what he wants and get away with it. I should have been allowed extra time to recover and then carried on fighting.
‘When he pushed me, he went to the referee, “don’t let the fight carry on”. The referee isn’t doing his job. Okay, I got caught, no doubt about that, good shot. I didn’t go straight down, he full-on, two-handed pushed me. It was a terrible job from the referee, but it is what it is.” (transcribed by Daily Mail)
Will Tyson Fury come back for the rematch with Dillian Whyte?
Tyson Fury appeared to be in full control of the ring leading up to the sixth round at Wembley, but the judges’ scorecards suggest otherwise. One judge awarded rounds two and three to Dillian Whyte while another gave him the first round. Regardless, Fury doubled down on his dominance with an incredible upper-cut that landed square on Whyte who struggled to stand up and coherently defend himself after that making the referee call it off.
Fury has confirmed his plans to retire following the bout although Whyte has urged him to step back in the ring again with him for a rematch.
“He said he’s going to retire… I hope he doesn’t retire because I want another go,” said Whyte.
“I gave him just as many problems as he gave me. It wasn’t a one-way street. I’m not one of those guys who wants to go out on a loss, I’ve still got a lot left in me.”
While a unification bout against the winner of Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk seems to be the most likely option next for Fury, it may never happen due to him staying retired. A match-up with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will be on the cards for next year when the MMA fighter becomes a free agent.