Dillian Whyte returned to action with a win on Sunday, beating Ebenezer Tetteh with a seventh-round technical knockout.
The referee called the fight off before Round 8, brining an end to a sluggish bout in Gibraltar.
It was Whyte’s second fight in two years after he failed a drug test prior to his scheduled rematch against Anthony Joshua in August 2023. Whyte was later cleared to return to boxing after it was found he took a contaminated supplement.
Largely expected to make light work of 36-year-old Tetteh (23-2, 20 KOs) from Ghana, Whyte (31-3, 20 KOs) had his work cut out and failed to knock his opponent down.
Whyte, 36, was the busier fighter in the opening rounds, but Tetteh absorbed the shots well kept and walking forward. Whyte showed signs of fatigue by the end of Round 3, expending a lot of energy with shots that Tetteh seemed unphased by.
In Round 4, Tetteh looked busier, but missed a lot of punches as the fight quickly turned into a slug fest, with both fighters missing their fair share of big punches. Although Whyte looked better when he used his jab, he was far from his best against the willing Tetteh.
The Brit looked to have stunned Tetteh in Round 6 after landing a good combination of punches, before his momentum was halted after he slipped to the canvas himself. While Tetteh was resolute in his efforts, his impact was minimal, with the referee choosing to wave the fight off after Round 7.
Whyte insisted he was happy to get the rounds under his belt and praised Tetteh after the fight.
“Anyone that comes from a third world country is fighting to change his life and his family’s life,” Whyte told DAZN. “I come from a similar background as him. I hit him with a lot of shots around the ear and the chin and he’s tough.
“I’m glad as well because he gave me the rounds I needed. This is what, 10 rounds in two years, so I’m happy.
“I just want to be busy. I’m willing to fight anyone I’m always willing to risk it for the biscuit. I’d love to fight again in March. I just want to fight and stay busy.”
Source: www.espn.com