Dillian Whyte has returned to winning ways after beating Jermaine Franklin by majority decision.
This was a chance for Whyte to make a statement to the rest of the heavyweight division, however, Franklin proved he was a worthy dance partner in what was his first 12-round fight.
From the opening bell Whyte was on the front foot, but Franklin was willing to go toe-to-toe with 'The Bodysnatcher' and targeted the body in order to find openings.
Editors' Picks
- Is Derrick James the best trainer Anthony Joshua has worked with?
- Is Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury the lineal champion after the WBC champion retired?
- Gervonta 'Tank' Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Will a rehydration clause make a difference?
- Derek Chisora makes prediction for Anthony Joshua's 'make or break' fight with Jermaine Franklin
As ever with a Whyte fight, it takes time for the Brixton man to ease himself into the contest and this seemed to be case once more as he began to utlise his jab in the second round and throw some hard-hitting body shots of his own, but whatever Whyte threw, Franklin absorbed.
With this being Franklin's first 12-round fight, tiredness seemed to already be settling in with his punches beginning to lack power in round four compared to the opening exchanges.
Franklin then found a second wind in the sixth and threw some combinations of his own, while Whyte became too comfortable with the pace of the fight.
The American heavyweight's work was starting to pay off when he started to find his way past Whyte's guard in round eight with a right uppercut, a punch which has often sent 'The Bodysnatcher' to the ring canvas.
Franklin continued to dominate and rocked Whyte with a right hand in the ninth as both showed signs of exhaustion.
The final two rounds saw the fight get messy as a result and it looked like the fight was going to have an underwhelming finish.
Luckily the final round saw Whyte go on the hunt for a stoppage despite instructions from his coach Buddy McGirt to not go for the knockout. Both men left it all in the ring in the closing stages and with less than a minute to go a left hook from Whyte sent Franklin stumbling into the ropes, but there wasn't enough time for Whyte to capitalise and the fight went to the scorecards.
The judges' scores reflected the close nature of this contest with one scoring it a 115-115 draw, while two cards read 116-112 in Whyte's favour.
But is Whyte ready to face Anthony Joshua for a second time after this win?
Judging by that performance, not yet, it was his first fight under new trainer Buddy McGirt and maybe another in early 2023 against a lesser opponent would be best for Whyte before stepping in the ring with AJ next summer in what could be a huge stadium fight.
Re-live the best moments from Saturday's card at the OVO Arena Wembley below which included a thrilling British heavyweight title fight between Fabio Wardley and Nathan Gorman.
