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Tyson Fury Beats Dillian Whyte Via 6th-Round TKO to Keep Heavyweight Title
April 23, 2022
Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) turned an ugly fight into a testament to his boxing ability with one punch Saturday night, knocking out Dillian Whyte (28-3, 19 KOs) in the sixth round with a right uppercut to retain the WBC world heavyweight title in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London.
The highly anticipated bout was a rough-and-tumble brawl for the most part, with fouls committed on both sides. Fury was in control throughout, however, boxing well from the outside when he was able to get separation from Whyte. He ended the one-sided affair in style, connecting with a haymaker that Whyte couldn't recover from.
This is Fury's second successful defense of the WBC world heavyweight title he won from Deontay Wilder in February 2020. He also maintains his claim as the lineal heavyweight champion, having kept an undefeated record since beating longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
After the fight, Fury suggested he's ready to retire, saying "this might be the final curtain for the 'Gypsy King'," per the pay-per-view broadcast.
If this is indeed Fury's final bout, it's a fine way to go out. The 33-year-old showed he was on another level entirely from Whyte, who was the mandatory challenger for the WBC belt.
CompuBox @CompuBoxAnother day at the office for @Tyson_Fury, as he landed 13 of 41 punches per round to just 5 of 29 for @DillianWhyte, who was finished with a single right uppercut that electrified the 94,000 fans in attendance at Wembley. Fury landed 47% of his power punches #FuryWhyte https://t.co/0vddBwqU4A
Whyte, 34, knew he had to add some wrinkles to his attack if he wanted to get to Fury, so he started the match by coming out in a southpaw stance. The surprise move didn't seem to do much other than inspire Fury, who switched to southpaw himself for a stretch in the second round.
As for the early action itself, Whyte repeatedly dialed up the overhand right but failed to connect, while Fury stayed out of range and boxed comfortably behind the jab.
The fourth round saw Fury land a right hand and open a cut over Whyte's right eye. The fight got rougher from that point on, with both men going to the clinch and trying to gain an advantage at close range. Whyte tagged Fury with a few illegal punches to the back of the head, and Fury got a talking to from the referee for refusing to break.
The fifth round saw less clinching, but not a whole lot of action. Whyte tried to press the champion, knowing he needed to generate some offense. He loaded up on the power punches, but Fury had little trouble avoiding the telegraphed attacks. Fury maintained his composure and took care of the basics, tagging Whyte with shots to the body and doubling up on the jab.
Whyte's ineffective attacks may have taken the wind out of his sails, as Fury's winning punch was a bolt from the blue. He cast out a couple of jabs to find the distance on Whyte, then snuck in the uppercut between the guard. It was an obvious winner, as Whyte landed spread eagle on the canvas. The challenger was able to beat the count, but he was still clearly dazed and the referee called the fight.
If Fury wants to retire after this bout, his legacy will be secure. The only real temptation for him would be a title-unification fight against the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua rematch set for later this year.