By: Hans Themistode
Dillian Whyte turned scathing after his long overdue headline hit. The British star has successfully reshaped his image and career after a defeat in injury time in 2015 at the hands of Anthony Joshua.
With 12 victories in the next 13 matches, Whyte was crowned the heavyweight king for the first time. However, despite a harsh 12-week training camp, Whyte’s title dreams were immediately pushed back over the weekend.
Said to be one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, Tyson Fury knocked out Whyte in front of a sold-out 94,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium. Even though Whyte pocketed nearly $8 million for his troubles, he was desperate and quickly mapped out his way back. It’s not the night he envisions but Whyte still has so many options for returning his ring, we’ll discuss his best options.
Joseph Parker
Dillian Whyte has stocked his resume with a number of notable wins but for now, the 2018 win over Joseph Parker is his most impressive. Whyte was in pristine form, dropping the former world champion in both the second and ninth rounds before beating himself in the 12th.
Parker has been a man on a mission since then, scoring six straight wins. While he seems to be on the edge of a world title, Parker has expressed interest in facing Whyte again, something Whyte doesn’t really entertain. However, now would be a great time for Whyte to revisit that conversation.
Murat Gassiev
Remember Murat Gassiev? Maybe you don’t.
At one point, Gassiev was considered the heaviest cruiser in the world. However, that view was dismissed as he was easily eliminated by Oleksandr Usyk in their cruiser class unification match in 2018.
Not long after, Gassiev gave up his stint as a cruiser class champion and tried his hand at heavyweight. But, unfortunately for Gassiev, injury affected his career. With just two games under his belt since a 2018 loss at the hands of Usyk, Gassiev should be looking for the biggest games he can. And while he hasn’t done much in his nascent division, Gassiev should be a fighter that Whyte has his eye on.
Andy Ruiz Jr.
A match against Andy Ruiz Jr was one that Dillian Whyte coveted. But, regardless of his efforts to lure the former unified champion into the ring, Whyte’s efforts were futile.
If Whyte still dreams of hugging his waist in gold, a win over Ruiz Jr looks to be his best bet. If he chooses to rematch the Ruiz team in a possible matchup, he will first have to wait and see how he performs against Luis Ortiz. The two are expected to go head to head this summer. Win or lose, Ruiz Jr should be Whyte’s main target.
