Dillian Whyte is back in action at last, but it wasn’t exactly the return he must have dreamed of in Ireland on Sunday.
The former world heavyweight title contender (now 30-3) duly got the win against Christian Hammer in Castlebar, but despite that he came away with a tinge of disappointment at the way things ended.
The whole thing was called off after just nine minutes when the durable Hammer 27-11 failed to come out for the fourth round, retiring to leave ‘The Body Snatcher’ claiming the win.
Long wait for Whyte return
It was the first time Whyte had been out since a decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in November 2022. That of course was his first fight back after that disappointing defeat by Tyson Fury in their WBC world heavyweight title showdown at Wembley in April 2022.
Dillian had been slated to meet Anthony Joshua in a massive rematch of their 2015 showdown in August 2023, but that was called off just days out following a positive drugs test from Whyte. He was later cleared to resume his career after it was found that the test had been caused by a contaminated supplement.
Whyte’s return against Hammer was shortlived but he clearly had a ton of frustration to get off his chest as he battered away to the body of his Romanian-German opponent.
Dillian on Hammer win
Speaking to Boxing Social, he said: “I was buzzing, I was good. He just quit but what can I do. I’ve been through a lot of hell and a lot of darkness.
“I just wanted to beat someone up and it showed in the earlier rounds. It’s good to be back out there and doing stuff. It’s good to get back to work. I was rushing and making stupid mistakes but whatever. Now I can move on and get to the next fight quickly.”
Whyte has fought only five times since 2019, and he stressed that he wants to change that with the clock ticking on a career that already sees him at 35 years of age.
“I want to stay active, I want another four fights this year, stay busy. Look at my career, the last four or five years I’ve not been very active.
“God willing if I can have another 7 fights, 8 fights, I’ll happily sail into the sunset.”
