Dillian Whyte vs. Ivica Bacurin results

By Boxing News - 06/25/2016 - Comments

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By Patrick McHugh: Making his first appearance since undergoing left shoulder surgery last December, heavyweight Dillian Whyte (17-1, 14 KOs) defeated journeyman Ivica Bacurin (25-10, 14 KOs) by a 6th round knockout on Saturday night on the Anthony Joshua vs. Dominic Breazeale card at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Whyte, 28, knocked Bacurin down twice in the 6th round to get the stoppage.

Bacurin, 34, was constantly moving around the ring and holding in each round. It was difficult for Whyte to catch up to him in part because of the movement but also because Whyte had weighed in at a career high of 253lbs at least Friday’s weigh-in. Bacurin was warned several times by the referee about the holding that he was doing, but it didn’t keep him from continuing to hold throughout the fight.

Overall, Whyte did not look good tonight. He was only able to use his surgically repaired left shoulder for jabbing. He wasn’t throwing power shots with his left hand at all in the fight. It makes you wonder whether the shoulder is completely healed. It looked Whyte only had partial use of his shoulder.

The once impressive power that Whyte previously had on his left hands was gone tonight. At best, he might have had 25% power, but he wasn’t using his left. If this is the going to be case for Whyte’s fights in the future, then it’s going to be very difficult for him to be a factor in the heavyweight division. His right hand isn’t powerful enough for him to beat the top fighters with just one hand. He needs his left hook back. if he can’t get that, then he’ll struggle when he fights the better heavyweights in the division. If it’s a matter of Whyte needing more time before he regains the strength in his left shoulder, then needs to take his time. Whyte should not rush into a fight against Dave Allen or Dereck Chisora if he’s only going to have partial use of his left arm.

Whyte will be fighting next month on July 30 against an opponent still to be determined in Leeds.