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On This Day: Dillian Whyte beats Joseph Parker in O2 Arena heavyweight thriller
On this day in 2018, Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker shared the ring for a heavyweight classic at the O2 Arena, putting it all on the line for a shot at heavyweight glory.
Both Whyte and Parker have walked very different paths since they collided violently seven years ago.
Parker has seen an immense career resurgence carry him all the way to negotiating an undisputed heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk.
He has defeated some of the top contenders in the heavyweight division, beating Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole back-to-back to prove his level and claim the WBO interim title.
Whyte had been in the wilderness since his WBC world title attempt against Tyson Fury in 2022 – fighting only twice since against Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh.
But he now finds himself back on the big stage against one of the sport’s fastest rising stars, Moses Itauma, on August 16 in Saudi Arabia.
In honour of the resurgence of two veteran heavyweights, here is a look back at their all-action fight.
Where were Parker and Whyte in 2018?
Parker had suffered his first professional defeat at the hands of Anthony Joshua four months earlier after daring to attempt heavyweight unification of his WBO title and Joshua’s IBF belt.
The Kiwi had been flying high, having defeated an unbeaten Andy Ruiz for the vacant WBO heavyweight title in the wake of Tyson Fury’s hiatus and had defended it twice before handing it over to Joshua.
This fight held serious connotations for Parker’s existence at the world level in the heavyweight division. Victory against Whyte was essential.
Meanwhile, Whyte was slowly becoming a household name in the heavyweight division. The Brit had rebuilt from a loss of his own to Joshua in 2015 – beating the likes of Dave Allen, former champion Lucas Browne and claiming a split decision in an all-British classic against Derek Chisora to endear himself to the fight public.
Another victory over a former world champion would put Whyte in the world title conversation and boost his ranking with the WBC.
Early controversy
After the first bell, the early advantage seemed to be for Parker, who was the much quicker and more traditionally skilled fighter, able to hit and not get hit through the first round as Whyte tried to land with counter left hooks.
But in the dying seconds of the second round, the former champion leaned in too close, reaching for a right hook to the body, and Whyte, looking for a counter, headbutted Parker and followed through with an elbow that felled his opponent.
It was counted as the first knockdown of Parker’s career without the benefit of a video replay, and left Parker chasing the fight.
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Whyte takes over
Through the middle rounds, the action was back and forth. Parker had been drawn into the firefight he had hoped to avoid and did not seem to have the power to deter the advancing Whyte.
Parker had begun to fade, and Whyte was landing heavier, more eye-catching work on the inside.
The fight was on a knife’s edge in the ninth round as Parker stepped into range with a lazy right uppercut to the body. Whyte replied with the dynamite left hook counter he had been searching for and dropped the Kiwi.
After bravely making it to his feet, Parker went back to work and continued to find success with the straight right hand that would later trouble Whyte.
Late drama
Parker knew the fight was slipping away from him before the 12th round and went out on a mission in the final three minutes. Parker had an exhausted Whyte on unsteady legs before finally dropping his man with a powerful right hand.
The Brit made it to his feet and was in obvious trouble, but with less than 30 seconds left in the round, Parker knew he had to pounce before the fight ended.
In a desperate attempt to stay on his feet, Whyte desperately flung his arms around Parker and the ropes, resisting the attempts of the referee to separate them. This was enough to hear the final bell and claim a unanimous decision.
The scorecards read 114-111, 115-110 and 113-112 in favour of Whyte as he claimed a career-best win in front of his home fans.
Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN
You can watch Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte live on DAZN on August 16. More information is available here.
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