Aurelia Butler

DILLIAN WHYTE returned to the ring in Gibraltar on Sunday night to take on Ghanaian heavyweight Ebenezer Tetteh.After seven action-packed rounds, Tetteh’s corner pulled him out but both men landed huge blows in an entertaining main event as the Body Snatcher picked up back-to-back wins in a year for the first time since 2019.Whyte will now keep on his march up the heavyweight division with a huge 2025 in store.CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSFollow our live blog below…Wardley next? Analysts float their ideasBarry Jones and his fellow play-by-play commentator Adam Smith float the idea of British champion Fabio Wardley facing Dillian Whyte next, one of many nearly there names poised to break onto the world scene after a performance that didn’t blow your socks off here but instead reminded you of just how tough a customer Whyte can be.I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but might just pour some cold water on that possibility right here, considering both know one another intimately and share teams – Wardley would rather box someone highly-ranked within a world sanctioning body instead.Copy linkCopiedWhyte wins via R7 TKO in Gibraltar!Former WBC interim world heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte maintained he needed rounds under his belt again after a lengthy lay-off, not the first of an engaging career. Yet the Body Snatcher will hope it is the last after displaying his trademark gusto and boxing beautifully at times to dismiss a gamely Ebenezer Tetteh during an absorbing contest that surprisingly went longer than many would’ve expected pre-fight. Back in the heavyweight mix again, sure, but he must be active for that to be the case and isn’t getting any younger… Copy linkCopiedReferee waves it off, Tetteh stopped!After the way he was assessing him before the sixth, that very pointed question minutes ago, this felt like a likely outcome and so it has proven: Ebenezer Tetteh is stopped before round eight begins, looking weary in the corner and the official has seen enough damage.Whyte goes over to commiserate with a bullish brute who never stopped working, but absorbed far too much punishment and wasn’t giving enough back in the last two rounds to justify that anymore.Whyte leans over the ropes to address DAZN’s commentary team and insist he needed the rounds, Tetteh’s got a towel over his bloodied nose and swollen eyes, all that is left is an official time right now. Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R7I’m seeing Whyte has landed 275 punches, 49 of them high impact according to JABBR through six rounds and it’s a surprise Tetteh hasn’t been knocked down yet – the variation of attacks has been encouraging, heavyweight boxing always presents jeopardy and this contest features plenty too, Dillian can’t deviate from the plan.Tetteh charges forward looking tired but lets his hands go all the same, whether they connect on the target or not. Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R6″Are you okay, do you want to continue?” is the audible question asked by the referee of Ebenezer Tetteh as they head into the second-half of a gruelling contest which many didn’t think would reach this juncture. Still he marches forwards, eating punches and the head pings backwards, Whyte measuring distance while banking rounds against a courageous opponent refusing to relent right now.The high guard remains but Whyte is popping through it with increasing success, he chains together a series of jabs-and-swings before losing his footing just as the finishing sequence looked likely!Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R5Tetteh was slow to get off his stool before the fifth, his eyes closing ever so slightly and his punch output slowing too – Whyte’s boxing at middle distance and utilising the jab more, as you’d expect against an opponent he should be outclassing, making him miss and lining up power punches whenever the opportunity arises too. The referee gives Dillian a gentle warning after watching him tee off with three low shots downstairs, Tetteh’s forward forays are more mreasured but the jeopardy remains as they head into the sixth. Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R4As the fourth round begins, Tetteh is enjoying a sustained sequence of success as the graphic on screen shows Whyte has been working hard – and boxing brilliantly, even if this is a firefight. 19 high impact punches to 4, while he’s landed 126 of 254 total punches thrown through nine minutes. Finding himself in a spot of bother as I type this, mind, having to push the Ghanaian off him.Tetteh appeared to stagger him with a single right, then right and uppercut combination but both of them look weary. This still hangs in the balance, one perfectly-placed punch could change things…Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R3Tetteh’s doing enough to make this a dogfight, not allowing Whyte any space or time to maintain his rhythm and it’s rough, an untidy spectacle that suits the underdog right now. Whyte boxing well in stages with jabs, combos, body work and the odd uppercut but while damage accumulation is a factor to consider the longer this goes, Tetteh is making him work harder than many would’ve expected to sustain the success. Exhausting is the word! Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R2Ooof! Tetteh finds himself having to absorb damage up against the ropes in the early part of a stinging second stanza, Whyte loving that body-head combination before Tetteh fires back and complains to the referee about punching behind the head. Midway through the round now, Whyte chains together a series of body work and then two uppercuts but Tetteh brushes these attacks off as if it’s nothing, firing back rights before the referee separates them with Whyte’s back to the ropes as they clinch momentarily. Whyte is throwing plenty but Tetteh’s walking into the punches and hasn’t really taken a backwards step – whenever he does, it’s not for long! This gruelling pace can’t last much longer, surely. Copy linkCopiedWhyte vs. Tetteh R1He laps up the adulation ringside, engages in a long wolf howl and after the Gibraltar national anthem is sung, we’re off and underway!Whyte starts flicking out the jab, digging a few body shots as Tetteh’s high guard remains solid – we’ll see for how long – whipping an uppercut in for good measure before Tetteh fires back gamely with some wild swings of his own!Suddenly they’re trading in close quarters and Whyte’s feet are slow … he lands a few combos, it’s bruising stuff and thankfully for Dillian, head movement sees him dodge dangerous haymakers.Copy linkCopiedJones: Whyte can ill-afford a slip-up hereIt goes without saying naturally on a small show like this, but in-case you had any doubts about Dillian Whyte’s abilities on the world stage chasing big names, he needs to produce a statement showing here. Former world champion boxer-turned-analyst Barry Jones on commentary has echoed that sentiment ringside, not least given how seamlessly the heavyweight division has been supercharged in Saudi over the past 15 months or so, Turki Alalshikh’s favourite division.Copy linkCopiedWhyte-Tetteh up next…A bit of a delay on the television broadcast and some pre-planning for next weekend’s Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as expected, but we’re just a few minutes away from the long-awaited main event showdown. Both have been warming up in their respective dressing rooms, not long left now. Copy linkCopiedPerez blasts Duffus inside 40 seconds!Wow! Over in a flash, Mike Perez casually chains together a patiently vicious combination to leave Israel Duffus in a heap on the canvas, the Californian-based Panamanian didn’t know what hit him and just like that, the evening’s co-feature is over before you can blink.I counted about five punches in that sequence, the first one signalled the beginning of a rather abrupt end… Duffus’ defensive awareness was all over the place and he was ruthlessly punished for it. Copy linkCopiedMike Perez vs. Israel Duffus up next…Cruiserweight co-main event over eight rounds, you ready? Irish-based Cuban national Perez (29-3, 20 KOs) previously challenged Mairis Briedis for WBC world honours at 200lbs in 2017, so how will the 16-year pro fare here? We’re about to find out. Copy linkCopiedSekhniashvili secures UD6 win60-53 x 3: Nikoloz Sekhniashvili bt. Omir Rodriguez via UD6 and improves to 10-2, with his second win of 2024. Well, it wasn’t the highlight reel finish he could’ve got.. but job complete nonetheless for an ambitious middleweight keen to get back onto the world scene after losing an eight-round decision against then-unbeaten 9-0 prospect Jahi Tucker in April 2023. Copy linkCopiedBody shot knockdown! Nikoloz Sekhniashvili scores a body shot knockdown with a lovely left hand, Omir Rodriguez’s delayed reaction and outstretched glove – half in acknowledgement, half stalling – probably saved him from being stopped at the end of the fourth. Surely the Georgian goes for the finish now?Copy linkCopiedNikoloz nice and in a flow stateRodriguez began the first round by complaining to the referee and visibly wincing at body shots, now he’s shaking his head dismissively trying to fend off forward pressure but the Orlando resident is stalking the journeyman down, needing to close off angles now. Into the third round they go and the Georgian is taking his time, though should probably be chaining attacks together more now. Copy linkCopiedSekhniashvili-Rodriguez next…Well, that’s awkward – forget what I said earlier about tonight’s running order! It appears we’ll have another bout before the evening’s co-main event at cruiserweight, a six-round middleweight contest as Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (9-2, 7 KOs) looks for his tenth pro win against Panamanian journeyman Omir Rodriguez (15-23-1, 6 KOs).31-year-old Rodriguez has boxed almost exclusively in England this year, suffering defeats by unbeaten prospects Ben Fail (UD8), Jimmy Sains (TKO2) and James Heneghan (UD6) over the past few months. Copy linkCopiedCarty seals R3 TKO!There we go. Carty swarms Mielonen with more lefts, dismisses a final rally from the Finland international and his legs are shot, mercifully the official waves off the contest after another standing count. I’m hearing Johnny Fisher comparisons and in fairness, that’s not a bad name to be likened to. Another unbeaten boxer, the former Southern Area champion returns in Riyadh next weekend against longtime contender (and former Whyte opponent!) Dave Allen.Copy linkCopiedCarty cranks up the violence!The referee’s certainly in a forgiving mood, because Carty crunched Mielonen with a beautifully disguised left hand, the first of as many as three knockdowns in a whirlwind stanza just now. This should’ve been stopped already..Copy linkCopiedCarty vs. Mielonen up next! Highly-rated Irish southpaw heavyweight Thomas Carty (9-0, 8 KOs) is up next against Finland’s 43-year-old Mika Mielonen (7-2, 6 KOs) over eight rounds. Something tells me this won’t go the distance…Copy linkCopiedAma prevails, as expected!60-54, 59-55, 60-54: Sedem Ama bt. Ester Konecna via UD6, improves to 4-0 and kicks off the televised portion of this card with a welcome win, even if the ring announcer briefly gave her a fright by beginning his sentence with the winner is… Ester, before catching himself. That was about as much trouble as the 34-year-old, a two-time national amateur champion, found herself in. Body work worked, her movement was slick and the jab didn’t miss either for good measure.Copy linkCopiedAma in control early…It’s a decent start to proceedings for the Peckham puncher, closing the distance and displaying some sharp fundamentals as they’re midway through the fourth round as I type this. Konecna is playing around and enjoying herself on the back foot, but quite clearly losing this and it’s becoming a little jarring to see the smile across her face as she showboats with her back to the ropes. Maybe that’s just me being a cynic, but hey. This looks destined to go the distance and then two more undercard fights, both over eight rounds, before Whyte-Tetteh ringwalks – at least an hour away, I’d say. Copy linkCopiedHistory made!Peckham’s Sedem Ama (3-0, 1 KO) is managed by Whyte and about to make history against Czech Republic journeywoman Ester Konecna (7-30-2, 2 KOs) as the first two women to compete professionally in Gibraltar on this undercard. Six two-minute rounds at light-middleweight and they’re underway.Copy linkCopiedRemember me? Revenge season for WhyteWho are those names, you might ask? Well, it’s revenge season.”I would love to fight Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury again… obviously I’ve avenged one of my losses and I’d love to avenge the others.”Whyte was set to box Joshua in a rematch of their 2015 firefight before news broke a week out from the duel that he’d failed a random VADA drugs test, which six months later was revealed to have been a contaminated supplement and Whyte cleared of wrongdoing. Tyson Fury, who rematches Oleksandr Usyk for unified heavyweight world titles in Riyadh, scored a sixth-round stoppage win over Whyte to retain the WBC heavyweight strap at Wembley in April 2022. Copy linkCopied More