By Gabriel Princewill-
Dillian Whyte put on a scintillating display on Saturday night in beating game Canadian, Oscar Rivas at the O2 in London.
The Londoner put on a superb world class performance in countering the high offensive assault launched by a hungry and dangerous Rivas who threatened a stoppage in the ninth round when he dropped Whyte by the ropes and earnestly pushed for a conclusive finish. Whyte, ever so resilient, made an impressive recovery to stay on his feet, weathering the raging storm coming his way, and producing an eventual eye catching landslide victory before a packed and buoyant crowd.
“These guys had hundreds of amateur fights, I had seven,” said Whyte who improves to 26-1, (18Ko’s) his only loss comes against former world champion, Anthony Joshua “He’s beaten tough guys (amateur and pro). I’m still learning”.
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Both combatants from the very outset fervently pursued each other with telling blows in an action packed fight reminiscent of the glory days of the sport in the 70’s which featured thrilling fights like that against Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier and the former against George Foreman. As a matter of fact, this fight was more gripping, with both men showing a phenomenal degree of prize fighting spirit in the tenacious way they engaged each other in their blood thirsty battle. It was a brilliant performance by both elite fighters. Oscar Rivas lost his first fight but leaves with his head up high, without any shame whatsoever.
Victory was imperative for Whyte, who would have lost his chance for his long awaited WBC world title shot had he lost what was in effect an evenly matched fight before hand. Battle ridden with a very tight defence and a precise jab, the South Londoner has good technical abilities and a tenacious fighting spirit. A fight very difficult to call, I told Match Room’s media representative, Daniel Barnard on the evening of the fight that I believed Whyte would win either by late stoppage or on points.
My expressed logic to mr. Barnard was that if eight people could previously survive Rivas’s onslaught and go the distance with, Dillian Whyte was at least as durable as the toughest of them with better technical skills than those boxers and Rivas. My analysis retrospectively proved true. Whye’s triumphant outcome was by no means hundred percent predictable, as each round revealing high drama and intrigue by two resolute fighters ardently fighting for the win. This was heavyweight boxing at its best, the kind of action fight fans pay to see.
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With this win, Dillian Whyte certainly joins the elite of the heavyweight division, and is undoubtedly box office material now. His previous two victories against fellow Londoner Derek Chisora were similarly high spirited, his last 11th KO of the equally gamely Del Boy coming whilst Whyte was marginally trailing Chisora on points. But any doubt that Dillian Whyte is one to watch has surely been quelled with this performance. Derek Chisora earlier on Saturday dismantled Artur Spilka in two brutal rounds, leaving his Polish opponent needing desperate medical attention.
Chisora and Whyte appear to be of comparable ability, judging from their two fights, except that Whyte has the prolific winning factor. Now an official mandatory challenger for the WBC title held by the seriously heavy hitting Deontey Wilder, Whyte will still have to wait about 300 days before he gets to meet the winner of Wilder v Fury early next year . that time comes. In the meantime, Whyte deserves a well done Salute!
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