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BOXING: Anthony Joshua v Dillian Whyte - five things we learned
Anthony Joshua knocked out Dillian Whyte in the seventh round to become British and Commonwealth champion - and Michael Parsons assesses what we learned from the fight
AJ isn’t going to steamroller every opponent
Anthony Joshua is far from the finished article. Casual boxing fans, along with some more seasoned observers, learned that he isn’t going to just demolish everyone in a few minutes. Unfortunately, life gets harder. However, the glimpses of vulnerability that he showed against Whyte will only add to the interest and excitement around him. There’s much work to be done in the gym, with his conditioning looking suspect and a susceptibility to body shots. All that being said, the finish was scary. Joshua is a force of nature.
AJ will come back better for this experience
How one interprets the mini-crisis that Joshua endured in round 2 really depends on your disposition. Supporters will say he got hit, weathered the storm and rallied well to secure a spectacular ko win. Detractors will argue that he was out on his feet against a limited opponent, following a decent but not massive shot. In truth, both sides have valid points. What’s certain is that Joshua should emerge all the better for his testing evening. He will have learned a lot more about himself than if he’d simply blasted Whyte out in a couple of rounds. The experience should stand him in good stead as he moves towards bigger challenges.
Dillian Whyte can take a punch
Whyte was happy to play the villain of the piece in the build-up to last night’s contest and the O2 crowd warmed to the theme, roundly booing him during his ring entrance. Yet, he emerges from the night with a huge amount of credit and an enhanced reputation. Where others wilted at the first taste of Joshua’s power, Whyte demonstrated miraculous levels of durability and heart in the face of some brutal punishment. Re-grouping after a torrid opening round, he was even able to threaten a huge upset during rounds two and three. While unlikely to trouble the upper echelons of the division, Whyte showed enough to suggest he can eke out a decent career at European level and possibly as a gatekeeper to the elite.
Joshua isn’t ready for a world title shot yet
Talk of a tilt at the world title needs to be reined in. AJ is at least two to three fights away from that. As he has done so far, Eddie Hearn should continue to pace Joshua’s career sensibly. Progression against some top 10 ranked opposition beckons in 2016. Fury, Wilder and co can wait for now. An interesting option for Joshua and one that would be an easy sell to the British public would be a match-up against Dereck Chisora, who won on the undercard. Chisora would represent a step-up from Whyte and as someone who has been in against Vitali Klitschko and Tyson Fury twice, would provide a useful yardstick for measuring Joshua’s progress.
David Haye would fancy his chances
Working as part of the punditry team for the event, David Haye was a particularly interested observer. Pre-fight talk was that a bout between Joshua and Haye has all but been agreed and Haye will have been heartened by what he saw. With his combination of counterpunching, handspeed and lateral movement, Haye would be well placed to exploit the flaws we saw from Joshua on Saturday. He would pose a significant threat and it’s a fight that Joshua and Eddie Hearn should approach with serious caution.
