Dillian Whyte lived up to his “Body Snatcher” profile when stopping Christian Hammer in Castlebar on Sunday night. The Brixton heavyweight’s power forced Hammer to quit on his stool before the start of the fourth round, but Whyte was far from happy.
The fight was his first since he was replaced by Robert Helenius as Anthony Joshua’s opponent in August 2023 when he failed a drugs test. In recent weeks it was reported that the 35 year old was cleared to fight again. He is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
“He was negative all through,” a clearly annoyed Whyte said directly after the fight in front of a packed house in The TF Royal Theatre. “As soon as I hit him he was negative. I told him afterwards he was a coward and I mean that.”
Whyte was in Mayo to top the “Once Upon a Time in The West” promotion, and he arrived in the ring clad in green, white and gold shamrock-speckled shorts. The locals gave him a great reception after he stressed how proud he was to be back in his grandfather’s homeland in the run-up to the bout, and he repaid them with an impressive display despite being restricted to just three rounds.
“I’m so frustrated,” he said. “I’ve put so much work into preparing for this fight and to have him quit after just three rounds is so frustrating. I told him afterwards in the ring that I always respected him but tonight he was a coward.”
Whyte’s frustration was clear given their fight was just getting into some sort of rhythm when Hammer didn’t continue after being hit with some serious body shots in the third round. The German had come out swinging in the first, but he made little impression on Whyte, who never looked to be in any discomfort.
There was little to separate the fighters in the second round either, but it was becoming more obvious that Whyte was settling into a rhythm that Hammer couldn’t deal with. Whyte was clearly on top in the third, and a series of hooks to Hammer’s body drew gasps from the crowd.
However, there was little indication that Hammer was going to quit when the fighters went back to the corner at the end of the third, and when the bell for the fourth rang he remained on his stool.
Buddy McGirt, who was in Whyte’s corner, said the hard work his fighter put in in the run-up to the Castlebar fight was becoming obvious before Hammer quit.
“In the opening two rounds his head was everywhere except where it should be, but at the end of the third round Dillian was beginning to do some of the things we had worked on and then the guy quit,” the trainer said. “I firmly believe it was just a matter of time before he got the guy out of there.
“I think he should fight again before the end of May. He’s got to keep busy and I personally believe the better the opposition the better Dillian will be. It doesn’t matter what name he comes up against he will get back to the top level again.”