DILLIAN WHYTE marked his return to the ring with a stoppage victory as Ebenezer Tetteh was pulled out of this entertaining firefight after the seventh round.
Whyte, now 36, has not boxed since three rounds against Christian Hammer in March which is his only action since a majority decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in 2022.
He is still in the hunt for lucrative fights in a stacked heavyweight division but knew that any slip up against Ghanaian Tetteh at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibralter would put an end to those hopes.
And, although Whyte dominated the fight, Tetteh ensured that every minute was competitive, and landed with a few big shots of his own.
The first round was akin to a bar room brawl, with both men swinging for the rafters with both hands. The high pace continued into the second and they were both breathing heavily by the end of it.
In the third, Whyte started to find his range and was more accurate with his punches, landing with a number of right hands to the face and left hooks to the body. Tetteh refused to wilt but was becoming more open to Whyte’s attacks.
But Tetteh, who was knocked out inside a round by a novice Daniel Dubois five years ago, came out swinging again in the fourth, forcing Whyte to tuck up and box behind his jab.
Whyte then started to turn the screw again in the sixth and had Tetteh in real trouble and seemingly on the verge of a stoppage. But Whyte then overshot with a left hook and ended up on the floor himself, giving Tetteh the brief respite he needed.
But it was more one-way traffic in the seventh and Tetteh looked totally exhausted by the end of the round and his corner decided to pull him out and end the fight there and then. He did not seem too bothered either, smiling as he hugged Whyte before shadow-boxing in centre ring.
This is the first time Whyte has won two fights in a calendar year since 2019 and the Jamaica-born Londoner is now hoping for a busy 2025.
“Inactivity killed my career so I just need to be busy and get back to business,” he said afterwards.
“I’m good. Tetteh stood up, he’s tough. I needed rounds. I promised Buddy I’d use my jab today so he’s happy.
“I hit him with a lot of shots around the ear and the chin – he’s a tough man. I needed the rounds because this is only 10 rounds in two years so I’m happy.
I” just want to be busy. I know everyone is fighting each other. I’m willing to fight anyone and I’m ready to risk it for a biscuit.”
