Let’s face it; everyone expected Moses Itauma to win. But no one expected him to win so fast. The Matchroom-Queensberry headliner in Riyadh ended almost as soon as it began. With a minute left in the opening round, a flurry of left overhands from the heavyweight division’s 20-year-old rising star snapped the fight out of the 37-year-old veteran. For young Itauma, the road is now open to a slew of big fights, including a potential matchup with undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.

For Dillian Whyte, however, it’s back to square one. From crushing losses to a long layoff and even a doping controversy, the Jamaica-born heavyweight has endured a gamut of setbacks. A win over a top-ranked contender like Itauma might have breathed new life into his sagging career. However, a few still feel Whyte could head for one last fight, his swan song. And surprisingly, the idea came from one of his old rivals: Derek Chisora.

Derek Chisora: Dillian Whyte still has gas in the tank

The moment unfolded at Riyadh’s anb Arena when promoter Eddie Hearn was speaking with a reporter from Seconds Out. Suddenly, Chisora barged in, declaring, “Make Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce.” The suggestion caught Hearn off guard. But after a pause, he conceded, “That’s it, isn’t it? It’s got to be.”

For Chisora, it was painful to watch Whyte fold so quickly, and Hearn couldn’t disagree. He was quick to heap praise on Moses Itauma, who tore through Whyte’s once-formidable defense. “I expected him (Itauma) to stop Dillian early, but probably not like that,” Hearn admitted.

The Matchroom boss felt the Slovakia-born fighter should face someone more ‘active.’ “Like who?” When Chisora asked, Hearn fired a few names – Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel, and Joseph Parker. He suggested that Dillian Whyte’s inactivity may have been his undoing. Chisora acknowledged the point. But circled back to his original idea, saying, “I want to see Joe Joyce. No, I want to see Dylan and Joe. Joe Joyce. A farewell goodbye fight in your call.”

It was in 2016 that Chisora fought Whyte for the first time.

Whyte’s southpaw struggles

The closely contested bout ended in a split-decision victory for the Harare-born Chisora. The duo regrouped two years later, and this time Chisora claimed victory more decisively with a knockout win. But notwithstanding their rivalry, Chisora felt a tinge of sorrow for what befell Whyte in Riyadh.

“Hey listen, he got caught ahead on the temple, and after that it was a long night for him. I’m a bit sad,” he told a reporter post-fight before adding, “I didn’t want him to go out like that.” According to Chisora, Whyte hadn’t faced a southpaw in a long time.

In Chisora’s view, Whyte should have taken on another left-handed opponent as a tune-up before stepping in against someone as formidable as Moses Itauma. “He had a good tuck-in and stuff like that. But you’re supposed to have a warm-up fight with another no-grace southpaw and then come back for this fight,” he insisted, before once again reiterating his call for a farewell showdown between Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce.

What are your thoughts? Should Dillian Whyte retire, or does he still have a fight or two left in him?