"I was buzzed but obviously I was trying to regather my senses and he proper pushed me and I fell over and hit my head on the canvas which is illegal. This isn't wrestling, this is boxing. I should have been allowed extra time to recover and then carried on fighting" - Dillian Whyte
Tuesday 26 April 2022 06:07, UK
Dillian Whyte says he should have received 'extra time to recover' after he was 'pushed' by Tyson Fury, just seconds before his world title stoppage defeat at Wembley.
The Brixton man was hurt by an uppercut in the sixth round, but believes the referee should have penalised Fury for shoving him before his head heavily hit the canvas.
Whyte, who was speaking to Sky Sports at the Fairmont Hotel in Windsor Park, said: "I was buzzed but obviously I was trying to regather my senses and he proper pushed me and I fell over and hit my head on the canvas which is illegal.
"This isn't wrestling, this is boxing. I should have been allowed extra time to recover and then carried on fighting.
"I got caught, no doubt about it. I got caught by a good shot. I went for the left uppercut, he went for the right uppercut. He's a bit taller than me, so obviously he landed his at range. I was hurt, I was trying to get my senses together and he full on, two-handed pushed me. It wasn't like a one-armed thing.
"Terrible job from the referee there, but it is, what it is.
"I should have had time to recover, time to go back to my corner, but Tyson Fury gets away with a lot of things.
"He said he would retire. I hope he doesn't retire, because I want another go.
"He said you're a good fighter, a true warrior, you're going to be a world champion. I'm not a sore loser. You win some, you lose some, this is life."
Whyte suffered a nasty gash over his right eye in the fourth round, the first time he has sustained a cut in 31 professional bouts.
"He kept on leaning down to the side and putting the head in and stuff like that," revealed Whyte.
"He leans down and he put the head in, he clashed with me and I got the cut and obviously the ref started telling me off.
"I was like, 'what the hell is going on here? I got head butted?'
"The fight spiralled a bit, until he started punching me in the back of the head. I started doing it to him and then his corner started throwing water and stuff like that, which was a bit crazy.
"I kept on getting all the blame. He was the one that was holding, he was the one that was headbutting and being dirty in the fight."
Whyte has vowed to return to the ring and remains confident he can swiftly force his way back into contention for another world title shot.
"I'm still young enough, I've still got a lot left in me," said Whyte.
"Still feel strong and I'm still getting better. I've fought the best in the world and I wasn't outclassed or outboxed. He was taller and the range was a bit tricky, because of the style, it's hard to get guys to prepare for him, because he's awkward and the way he fights. But I wasn't outclassed. I landed my fair bit of leather.
"It's not a long, hard road back, because I've showed the level I am. We sold 90 something thousand tickets together. It's not him alone or me alone. I added value going in before. I've had loads of pay-per-view fights, they have all sold out, they have all been good fights.
"I'm still there, I'm still good enough. One fight and I'm back!"
Sky Sports Boxing's Johnny Nelson praised the resilience Whyte showed on the night but stated that Fury just had too much to offer.
"Dillian has got a lion's heart, he will not give up no matter what," Nelson said. "He would never give up; he would always keep going. But Tyson Fury, each time the rounds went by, was getting him more and more.
"I get where Dillian is coming from, he's still talking with a champion's mentality and a hunter's mentality. Unfortunately, for Dillian he's in an era where Tyson Fury exists and for any heavyweight in the world right now, they're in an era where Tyson Fury exists.
"This guy [Fury] knows what he's doing; he can box, he can fight… he can talk and wind you up, be silent on you, he can do everything and is the full package. Dillian Whyte gave it his all, but Tyson Fury is just too good.
"Fury is not big and awkward, he's unorthodox. He's managed to master his style, master his shape and size. If the fight would have gone on Dillian would have got hurt, the referee did his job and did the right job."
