Dillian Whyte has hit out at Tyson Fury for an “illegal” push in the sequence that saw Whyte knocked out by the WBC heavyweight champion on Saturday.
Fury retained the title and remained unbeaten by stopping Whyte with one second left in Round 6, as 94,000 fans watched on at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Fury dropped Whyte with a right uppercut that sent his fellow Briton falling backwards to the mat, and although Whyte was able to get back to his feet, the 34-year-old then fell into the arms of referee Mark Lyson, who waved off the bout.
Whyte, however, has claimed that Fury – who appeared to nudge his challenger after landing the uppercut – should not have been allowed to “get away” with a “push”.
“The uppercut that landed... I was buzzed, but obviously I was trying to regather my senses,” Whyte told Sky Sports. “He proper, full-on pushed me, and I fell over and hit my head on the canvas – which is illegal; this ain’t wrestling, this is boxing.
“As usual they let Fury do what he wants and get away with it. I should’ve been allowed extra time to recover and then carried on fighting.
“And then he goes to the referee: ‘Don’t let the fight carry on.’ The referee ain’t doing his job. Okay, I got caught, no doubt about it, good shot. I went for the left uppercut, he went for the right uppercut, he’s a bit taller than me so obviously he lands his at range.
“I was hurt, I didn’t go straight down, I was trying to get my senses together, then he two-handed pushed me. It wasn’t like one arm... and I fell over and hit my head. It was a terrible job from the referee there, but it is what it is.”
Whyte also alluded to the fact that there had been just one second left in the round, suggesting that he should have been allowed more time to collect himself.
“I should have had time to recover, had time to go back to my corner,” Whyte said. “Tyson Fury gets away with a lot of things. He says he’s retired; I hope he doesn’t retire, because I want another go.”
Fury indeed suggested before and after the main-event contest that he would retire from boxing, though the 33-year-old did not rule out exhibition bouts.
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou entered the ring at Wembley after Fury’s victory, with the pair having discussed a crossover fight in recent months.
The heavyweights seemed to agree to a bout while speaking to one another in the ring.
