Dillian Whyte feels his fight with Tyson Fury was ‘close’ before he was stopped by a brutal uppercut in the sixth round.
The 34-year-old challenger was being made to miss by Fury in the opening few rounds as the WBC champion began to find his range.
And while Whyte had brief moments of success himself, Fury looked in control for the majority of the contest before he found the finishing punch to end the fight.
Yet despite the crushing loss, Whyte said he believes the fight was competitive before the stunning uppercut ended the bout.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “I don’t think there was a lot in the fight, it was a close fight. The gameplan was starting to come on more and more – it was to press him obviously, work the body and then start moving forward. Sometimes you’re in there, you see something else and you make a decision – it didn’t pay off.
“I went left, right, and then I’m saying, ‘Okay, maybe now I can go one slip and come back with a shot.’ But it was one slip and then I got caught with the shot.
“It is what it is, man. I didn’t feel like I was outclassed in there or he was this level and I was that level. Even though he was taller than me I was able to land jabs and do my thing, work the body.
“It was one of those fights where we were both on the edge, we were both on the edge. It was a close fight. Body shots started to land more and more.
“I think he was surprised I came out southpaw. I was awkward for him as well. It was good, I landed some good shots, he landed some good shots. It was a good fight, a good learning experience.”
Whyte has now suffered three defeats in his professional career - against Anthony Joshua, Alexander Povetkin and Fury. All of those losses have come via stoppage.
