Anthony Joshua Reigns in Britain, Plus Other Lessons Learned from O2 Arena Card
Anthony Joshua finally avenged an amateur defeat, Chris Eubank Jr. silenced his keyboard warrior, and Tony Bellew became European champion. It was an eventful Saturday night to say the least at the O2 Arena in London, and that's without mentioning surprise defeats for two highly regarded lightweights.
Producing more twists and turns than a roller-coaster ride at Alton Towers, the card in the English capital was a pre-Christmas cracker that proved worthy of pay-per-view billing.
The main protagonists all had something to prove, but not all of them survived unscathed.
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Joshua and Eubank Jr. both overcame worrying moments to triumph against Dillian Whyte and Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan, respectively. However, Luke Campbell came a cropper against Frenchman Yvan Mendy.
Kevin Mitchell, meanwhile, saw his hopes of another crack at a world title destroyed by the heavy hands of Venezuelan Ismael Barroso. It could well be the end of the line for The Hammer after a second straight loss.
Here, Bleacher Report looks back on the action and picks out some of the major talking points, starting with the big men who stole the show.
All Things Equal
The fight between Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) and Whyte (16-1, 13 KOs) had been billed as "Bad Intentions" for a reason. The two just don't like each other.
Whyte defeated his rival when the two were both in the early stages of their amateur careers, back in 2009. In Round 2, it seemed he might get the better of his fellow Londoner again.
After dominating the opening three minutes, Joshua took a left hook that left him in a position he had never been before as a professional—in trouble. With his legs unstable and his head dazed, the 2012 Olympic champion looked in serious danger of keeling over.
Somehow, he survived. Dealing with his first real setback since turning pro, Joshua slowly began to realise it wouldn't be just another routine victory.
He should be credited for clearing his head and finding a way to get the job done. The finish, as tweeted by Boxing Hype, was brutal:
Joshua has now evened up the score, though Whyte wasn't in the ring by the time the new British champion was presented with the belt. The Commonwealth title he had won in his last outing was returned to him, too. All there was for the loser was a feeling of what might have been.
Joshua had his moment of revenge. He offered no praise for his beaten opponent in the immediate aftermath, showing the bad blood still remains.
When asked if he now had respect for Whyte, he told Sky Sports, "No. Not really."
It may need a third bout to settle the score, but there's no need to rush that.
What Next?
Joshua not only won, he also proved he is more than just a destroyer of heavyweight cannon fodder.
Pushed for the first time as a pro, the 26-year-old provided the answers to a few key questions, as pointed out by respected trainer Dave Coldwell on Twitter:
It turns out Joshua can take a punch. Whyte launched everything at him in an astonishing Round 2 but couldn't force a stoppage. Joshua also got pushed into uncharted waters (having never previously gone beyond Round 3) and still found a way to succeed.
What the performance also shows, however, is that talk of fights for world titles is premature.
Whyte is also still wet behind the ears in terms of professional experience, having had only 16 fights before stepping into the ring to face a familiar foe.
But, according to Boxing Monthly, Eddie Hearn—Joshua's promoter—would consider throwing his big man in at the deep end against the winner of the clash between Vyacheslav Glazkov and Charles Martin, who will meet for the IBF title that was rather rapidly stripped from Tyson Fury's possession.
Yet Joshua would be better served continuing his education before looking to become a world champion.
Boxing Monthly hinted that Dereck Chisora could be the next in line:
Chisora is an ideal foe for the new British champion. He is a battle-hardened heavyweight who has been in with some big names, most recently Fury in November 2014.
Joshua's eyes have been opened now as to what to expect as he steps up. The future still looks bright, but things will only get tougher from now on.
As for Whyte, it is a little harder to plot his route. He also has much still to learn, yet in defeat he showed that he not only has the stomach for battle but also the chin to cope with huge shots. Quite how he remained upright in Round 1 has to go down as a Christmas miracle.
His performance will open doors, but he must be careful not to overestimate his abilities at this stage.
It will be fascinating to see how his career unfolds in the next 12 to 18 months, particularly if he keeps Johnathon Banks—a former heavyweight—as his trainer.
What would be great to see is Joshua-Whyte III in 2017 with a world title on the line. That would be the ideal way for them to settle the score.
Ref Justice
A word (or two) in praise of referee Howard Foster. A volatile clash between two heavyweights with a lack of respect for each other is not an easy situation to cope with, but the official did all he could to keep control.
At the end of Round 1, things threatened to descend into chaos.
Joshua caught Whyte with a shot after the bell, and the latter did not care for it. He tried to launch back with wild swings, but Foster positioned himself in between the pair and kept them just about apart.
As demonstrated by the photo below, he took one for his troubles. But, he also prevented a powder keg from completely exploding.
He may not get everything right (just ask George Groves about the stoppage in his first meeting with Carl Froch), but Foster should be commended for his handling of the fight, both during and after the rounds.
In between the first and second he talked to both men about their behaviour. It would have been easy to disqualify Whyte, but instead the ref kept his cool when things got heated.
For that, the viewers were rewarded with an absorbing contest and a spectacular finish.
Both boxers received every opportunity to recover in times of trouble, plus Foster wasted little time with a count when noticing Whyte was in a bad way when finally knocked down in the seventh.
Sometimes, officials don't get talked about unless they do something that people view as wrong, but Foster's performance should not be completely overlooked. He not only did his job, but he did it very well.
The Entertainers
Just as Whyte withstood some tremendous shots, so too did O'Sullivan (22-2, 15 KOs). The Irishman wore more leather than Fonzie from Happy Days during his middleweight clash with Eubank Jr.
But, just like Whyte, the underdog had his moments of success. While he never quite had his rival rocking and rolling, the left hook proved a potent punch at times.
Still, O'Sullivan—who had cheekily kissed his opponent at Friday's weigh-in—could not find a way to avoid being hit with uppercuts.
Despite the punishment he received, the 31-year-old never hit the canvas. In the end, the corner decided to pull their man out after Round 7. Enough was enough, according to trainer Paschal Collins.
Eubank Jr. (21-1, 16 KOs) had finally silenced a man who had chased him on social media, per Richard Damerell of Sky Sports.
The victory puts him next in line for a crack at WBA champion Daniel Jacobs, who emphatically retained his title by stopping Pete Quillin inside a round on December 5.
There are other options, however, and Eubank Jr. did not rule out turning his attention to the British title, currently held by Nick Blackwell:
Whatever Eubank Jr. does next, it will attract interest. Dad will be there providing his own unique brand of support, too.
Chris Eubank Sr. was never going to remain quietly in the background.
There was dancing on stage at the weigh-in on Friday and then a rather odd game of peek-a-boo prior to his son's lengthy ring walk at the top of the runway.
The only certainty when a Eubank is involved is that it will always be entertaining, in one way or another.
The Tale of Two Defeats
The lightweight division is stacked in Britain right now.
The undefeated Terry Flanagan of Manchester is the reigning WBO champion, with the next defence of his crown coming against Liverpool's Derry Mathews on February 13.
Another Mancunian, Anthony Crolla, now owns the WBA belt, having dethroned Darleys Perez in November.
Englishmen Campbell and Mitchell were hoping they would get opportunities to win world titles themselves in 2016.
It still might happen next year for either man, but both suffered career setbacks in London.
Unlike his fellow gold medalist for the 2012 Games, Campbell couldn't match Joshua in staying unbeaten. Given an early start time, the southpaw never really got going against the obdurate but obvious Mendy.
Pressing forward at every opportunity, the French fighter simply kept a high guard and responded with quick counters whenever possible, mainly with a straight right hand.
Dropped to the canvas in Round 5, Campbell simply never came to terms with the challenge.
He didn't have the power required to keep his opponent's march at bay, while he seemed sluggish both physically and mentally.
After coming out on the wrong end of a split decision on the scorecards, Campbell vowed to come back stronger, per the Hull Daily Mail: "I'll get back in the gym with my team and work hard. It was my first time fighting 12 rounds and I'll learn from this."
He has time on his side to come again (even though his boyish looks disguise the fact he is already 28). But, the first professional loss was as disappointing as it was unexpected.
The same, however, cannot be said for Mitchell.
The Hammer had no answer to the heavy hands of Barroso, an opponent who looked a dangerous fighter on paper and proved exactly that in the ring.
Mitchell knew a win would clinch the interim WBA belt, thereby setting up a clash against his compatriot Crolla, who was watching on from ringside, early next year.
Instead, the Londoner suffered a second successive defeat that may leave him with nowhere else to go. After the heartbreaking loss to WBC champion Jorge Linares in May, the defeat to Barroso was brutal.
Worryingly, it was a jab that knocked him down for the first time in the bout. NextBritishFight tweeted the shot:
While Campbell (12-1, 10 KOs) can lick his wounds and come back stronger, Mitchell (39-4, 29 KOs) may have to move on, knowing his final chance has come and gone.
If it does happen to be the end of the line for him, the 31-year-old will join an unwanted list of great British fighters to never win a world title.
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