# Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte

Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte, billed as Bad Intentions, was a professional boxing match contested on 12 December 2015, for the British, Commonwealth WBC International heavyweight championship. The bout took place at The O2 Arena in London.
Joshua defeated Whyte, adding the British title to his Commonwealth and WBC International titles title via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO).

## Background

Joshua and Whyte first fought in 2009 as amateurs, with Whyte knocking Joshua down en route to a points decision victory. While Joshua stayed in the amateurs to win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, Whyte turned professional in 2011, going on to compile a record of 9–0 (6 KOs) before receiving a two-year ban after failing a drug test in 2012 for the banned substance methylhexaneamine. After the ban ended in 2014, Whyte expressed his desire for a rematch with Joshua, now 9–0 (9 KOs), while also claiming there was animosity between the two after Joshua made disparaging comments towards Whyte in an interview.
On 9 July 2015, the British Boxing Board of Control announced an agreement had been reached between the two to fight for the vacant British heavyweight title. Following Joshua's win over Gary Cornish in September, a first-round TKO to capture the vacant Commonwealth title, promoter Eddie Hearn revealed during the post-fight interview that the bout would take place on 12 December at The O2 Arena in London.
Joshua was ranked 2nd by the WBC, 3rd by the WBO, 7th by the IBF and 13th by the WBA, while Whyte was ranked 18th by the WBC.

## The fights
### Undercard

The preliminary bouts were set to feature Ted Cheeseman, Jake Ball and Martin Joseph Ward, however due to an incident in Blackwall Tunnel these bouts were cancelled. Instead the night opened at the same time as the PPV card with former 2 division world champion Paulie Malignaggi earning a wide unanimous decision victory over Antonio Moscatiello, followed by former world title challenger Derek Chisora stopping Jakov Gospic in 3 rounds.

### Campbell vs. Mendy

The next fight saw unbeaten 2012 Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell (WBC:8th, IBF:10th) face former French lightweight champion Yvan Mendy. Campbell was a 20 to 1 on favourite to win.

#### The fight

The early rounds saw Campbell shifting his punches smoothly with Mendy constantly moving forward behind a high guard. A left hook from Mendy dropped Campbell for the first time in his career as Mendy exposed holes in the Brit's defence. Campbell would fight back and take the fight the full 12 rounds where was on the losing end of a close split decision with scores of 115–112 and 115–113 for Mendy, while the third judge scored it 115–113 for Campbell.

#### Aftermath

Speaking the fight Campbell make no excuses for his defeat saying "I feel as though I won the fight but I'm not one of the judges, I was catching him a lot to the head and body. It was a good lesson. I showed a lot in there. I'm a perfectionist and want to go back to the gym and work even harder. There are no excuses. That's the first time I've done 12 rounds in my career - I feel as though I made a few mistakes in there."
| Preceded byvs. Tommy Coyle | Luke Campbell's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Gary Sykes |
| Preceded byvs. Reynaldo Mora | Yvan Mendy's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Samir Kasmi |

### Bellew vs. Masternak

The fourth bout was for the vacant European cruiserweight title, with former British Light heavyweight champion Tony Bellew (IBF/WBO:4th, WBA:9th, WBC:14th) facing former champion Mateusz Masternak (WBA:4th, WBO:6th, IBF:7th, WBC:13th). Bellew earned an £80,000 purse for the bout.
Bellew was a 2 to 9 favourite to win.

#### The fight

Bellew produced a solid performance as the fight was back and forth throughout as he ground down the tough Masternak.
Bellew ultimately won by unanimous decision, with scores of 115–113, and 115–112 twice to capture the European title.
| Preceded byvs. Artūrs Kuļikauskis | Tony Bellew's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Ilunga Makabu |
| Preceded byvs. Carlos Ailton Nascimento | Mateusz Masternak's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Eric Fields |

### Mitchell vs. Barroso

In the following bout, two time world title challenger Kevin Mitchell (WBC:4th WBA:9th) faced unbeaten contender Ismael Barroso (WBA:1st, WBO:10th) for the WBA interim lightweight title. The winner would be in line for a shot at newly crowned WBA champion Anthony Crolla.
Mitchell was a 3 to 1 on favourite to win.

#### The fight

After two cagey rounds Barroso was able to find success with his highly aggressive southpaw style. In the fourth round Barroso landed a left-right combination, which appeared to send Mitchell down, however the replays indicated that it may have been a slip. Nevertheless the referee ruled it a knockdown and Mitchell did not appear hurt. In the 5th round a straight right jab landed flush on the jaw of Mitchell and he was down again. He beat the count but this time he appeared badly hurt, Barroso would back him up against ropes landing punches prompting the referee to stop the fight. Immediately afterwards, Mitchell had to be given oxygen by ringside doctors.
| Preceded byvs. Jorge Linares | Kevin Mitchell's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Edis Tatli Retired |
| Preceded byvs. Ira Terry | Ismael Barroso's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Anthony Crolla |

### Eubank Jr. vs. O'Sullivan

The chief support was a WBA middleweight title eliminator between No. 2 ranked Chris Eubank Jr. and No. 5 ranked Gary O'Sullivan.
The bout was originally scheduled to take place in May 2015
The pair had a history of feuds in the past, with O'Sullivan targeting Eubank on social media. Speaking at the pre fight press conference Eubank said "The guy has called me every single name under the sun but now he's gone into his shell. When we were finally in a room together, he had nothing to say. It was embarrassing and I kind of felt sorry for him, I think he realised then what he has got himself into. But he's going to pay for his words. He's a pretender and he's going to get punished."
Eubank who was a 6 to 1 on favourite to win, initially weighed in 3 ounces over the middleweight limit, but he subsequently made the weight. O'Sullivan's corner included Steve Collins had twice beaten Eubank Sr in the 1990's.

#### The fight

Eubank came out aggressively, landing with a variety of uppercuts and hooks but O'Sullivan withstood the attack. O'Sullivan rocked Eubank Jr with a right hand in the 3rd. After that Eubank was in control, and at the end of the 7th round, O'Sullivan's corner retired their fighter, who had sustained a perforated eardrum.

#### Aftermath

Speaking to Sky Sports after the bout "It was very satisfying, to be in the position I am now - ready to fight for the WBA world title is a dream come true. This is just a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I want everyone who has a world title. I will take all comers."
| Preceded byvs. Tony Jeter | Chris Eubank Jr.'s bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Nick Blackwell |
| Preceded byvs. David Toribio | Gary O'Sullivan's bouts 12 December 2015 | Succeeded byvs. Jaime Barboza |

### Main Event

The opener was an action-packed round which saw both fighters throwing power punches throughout, with the highlight being a left hook from Joshua that wobbled Whyte. Chaos erupted in the ring after Joshua threw a punch after the bell sounded to end the round, prompting Whyte to throw two punches over the shoulder of referee Howard Foster. Cornermen from both sides entered the ring to separate both fighters. At the start of the second round, Foster immediately called a timeout, bringing the fighters together and giving both a warning for their actions in the previous round before resuming the contest. Joshua began to goad Whyte, talking to him before throwing punches. With a little over one minute left of the round, Whyte landed a solid left hook that staggered Joshua. Whyte followed up with a barrage of punches but was unable to drop the champion. The third round saw both men work behind the jab, each landing stiff left hands. The bell sounding to start the fourth marked the first time Joshua had been past three rounds. He began to find his target with more frequency, leaving Whyte on unsteady legs on more than one occasion. The fifth and sixth rounds saw much of the same, both men having success with Joshua landing the more eye catching punches. The end came in the seventh, a round in which neither fighter had previously fought. Less than a minute into the round, Joshua landed a right hand to the head of Whyte, staggering the challenger and sending him reeling backwards into the ropes. After a sustained follow up attack by the champion, a right uppercut landed on the chin of Whyte, dropping the challenger and leaving him laid on his back and prompting Foster to forgo the ten count and wave off the contest.

## Aftermath

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the bout Joshua "A world title fight is still far away. Becoming an elite athlete in such a tough sport, it doesn't happen overnight but I've got the desire, ambition and the team around me to do it but I don't want to rush it because when I get there, I want to stay there."

### Cancelled rematch

A rematch was set take place at London's O2 Arena on 12 August 2023. The rematch was cancelled due to Dillian Whyte's failed drug test.

## Fight card

Confirmed bouts:
^Note 1 For Commonwealth, WBC International and vacant British heavyweight titles ^Note 2 WBA middleweight title eliminator ^Note 3 For vacant WBA interim lightweight title ^Note 4 For vacant European cruiserweight title ^Note 5 For WBC International lightweight title ^Note 6 For vacant European Union welterweight title

## Broadcasting

| Country | Broadcaster |
| Australia | Fox Sports |
| Ireland | Sky Sports |
| New Zealand | Sky Arena |
| Poland | TVP Sport |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports |