Dillian Whyte dominated Lucas Browne en route to scoring a frightening 6th round knockout tonight at the O2 Arena, London. Whyte was in control throughout, outboxing a slow, plodding Browne, and experienced minimal resistance as he repeatedly found a home from the right hand.
Browne (25-1, 22 KO) showcased his ruggedness and grit as he ate numerous shots, but, of course, that alone was never going to be enough to pull off the win. At best, the fleshy-looking Browne had a puncher’s chance, at least for the first three or four rounds. In the 6th, Whyte (23-1, 17 KO) went in for the kill, jumping on a wilting Browne who was now a sitting duck with a busted, bleeding left eye.
Whyte fired off a flurry, finally landing with a wild, full-blooded left hook that sparked Browne out cold, requiring no count from the referee. The mismatch was immediately called off, with medics soon in the ring and an ambulance whisking him away on a stretcher. Boxing Base’s thoughts are with Browne, hoping for a full, fast recovery.
As for Whyte, the Heavyweight climber could potentially be awarded a title shot in the coming months. Of course, just about every fight fan on the planet is clamouring for Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder to materialize next. But, you know, this is boxing – where nothing is ever quite certain. Joshua vs Wilder negotiations could hit a wall, and, let’s not forget, Joseph Parker (who meets Joshua next weekend) isn’t out of the way until he actually is.
Whatever happens, Whyte is now comfortably inside the Heavyweight Top 10, with a fairly good chance of landing a fight against one of the aforementioned big three. If not right away, then perhaps sometime in the second half of 2018. Failing that, a door could open to a potential domestic scrap against the likes of Tony Bellew, David Haye, Dereck Chisora, or even – though it seems far less likely – Daniel Dubois. All those fights would be warmly received by the British public, I’m sure.
What are your thoughts on Whyte’s dramatic performance and where does Browne go from here? Fire away in the comments below.
