What lies ahead for Dillian Whyte after devastating Moses Itauma defeat?

Dillian Whyte suffered the fastest defeat of his career this past weekend when Moses Itauma knocked him out in the first round in Saudi Arabia.

This fight was viewed as a crossroads fight for both men. It was a must-win for Itauma to prove himself on the world stage, and Whyte needed the upset to keep his name alive in the world title conversation.

There have been calls for Whyte’s retirement after such a convincing loss at 37 years old, but Whyte has faced similar odds before and come back and found success.

But what options lie ahead for the veteran heavyweight if not a world title run?

Joe Joyce

Whyte was scheduled to fight Joe Joyce on April 5 this year in Manchester, but was forced to pull out due to a hand injury and was replaced by Filip Hrgovic, who would go on to defeat Joyce on points.

This fight, if made now, would be a big domestic showdown between two dangerous veterans vying for a final chance at the top table. The clash of styles would make the fight all action

Many thought that Joyce would retire after his loss to Hrgovic, but he has made it clear he intends to fight on despite back-to-back losses to Chisora and Hrgovic.

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Derek Chisora

The pair have fought twice before. Whyte eked out a split decision in their first meeting and pulled out a dramatic 11th-round knockout in their rematch to put an end to the rivalry – for now.

After their fights, Chisora went through a slow few years, not quite finding his level, becoming something of a heavyweight gatekeeper.

But after taking some risky fights against the likes of Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin, he now finds himself back at the top table – ranked as the IBF’s number two (the top spot is vacant) and number eight with the WBO.

If a trilogy fight can be made, it would present an interesting turning of the tables moment in which we see Chisora, enjoying an unlikely resurgence at the top of the heavyweight rankings.

Anthony Joshua

What would have been the third instalment of the Whyte vs Joshua rivalry that extends back to their amateur days – was set for late 2023, but Whyte returned an adverse finding in a drug test, and the fight was called off.

Whyte was found innocent, but lost a year of his career, a chance at revenge and a big payday.

Joshua is also looking to rebuild after his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley last year and has been linked with myriad names, including Jake Paul, Tyson Fury and even Tony Yoka.

Though the loss to Itauma will make him a less enticing proposition to Joshua, there is a chance that the rivalry and demand for a rematch from the public could draw Joshua in.

Retirement

Although it feels premature to call for Whyte to retire, given that 37 has been proven time and again not to be an advanced age for a heavyweight.

But Whyte has such a varied and successful career, with the only thing to elude him being a world title – if he were to retire now, he could look back on a legendary career filled with pride for his willingness to take on any challenge put in front of him.

He has taken on some of the best heavyweights to come out of Britain, including Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Derek Chisora and now the heir apparent – Moses Itauma.

That list does not even include the three former world champions Alexander Povetkin, Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker.

With a shot at a world title now out of reach, retirement should not be out of the question for Whyte.

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