Dillian Whyte vs Dereck Chisora: How Anthony Joshua felt the wrath of boxing's fickle fans to go from hero to villain in one swift knockout

In boxing the same eyes which awe champions to the summit then will their way down until they are left cold and unconscious like Dereck Chisora on Saturday evening

One of Saturday evening’s greatest roars came before Sweet Caroline, Hotel California and Back to Black, before the eleven-and-a-half rounds of barbarity, and before Dillian Whyte had howled into the air in celebration like a feral wolf in centre-ring. Instead, it was summoned by the sight of Anthony Joshua’s sellout smile as he squeezed into his position at ringside.

Yet thirty-two minutes later, after hundreds of haymakers had been traded, and Dereck Chisora had peeled himself from the canvas, Joshua was left wincing on the ring apron as he was unanimously booed for the first time in his career. The heavyweight champion was aggrieved, Sky’s team were shocked, while Eddie Hearn admitted it was something he had feared.

After 23 intoxicating rounds with Chisora which ended in hugs and respect, Whyte, now Joshua’s No 1 challenger with the WBO, shed his villainous reputation. Over in LA three weeks ago, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder relieved Joshua of his dictatorial noose on the heavyweight division. And so in a year where Britain’s biggest sports star unified heavyweight titles and continued to fill out stadiums, suddenly within 22 days of the Christmas month he has been backed into a position where he can only leave people displeased.

Partly, perhaps, that is the fault of his politically correct brigadier act, shielding his cruder side to allow for the unsubtle emphasis on commercial deals which pepper his every piece of apparel. But at the root of it are a popular triumvirate of challengers who simultaneously accuse him of dodging each of their challenges, painting him – successfully as seen on Saturday – as a fighter of fading pride, not helped by his association with pantomime villain Eddie Hearn.

And as Joshua clambered down from the ring, for once his grievance could not be withheld, blighted by the betraying fans and their swayed favour towards the foe he’d felled in this very same arena three years ago.

Whyte blindsided Chisora with a left-hook in the eleventh round (Getty)

“You know what, Dillian is an idiot,” Joshua said immediately afterward. “You know why? I showed him some respect. I just told him straight ‘Dillian, I knocked you out clean when we fought, but let’s forget about that, because we’ve both developed, so let’s prove who is a better fighter now’.

“If Deontay Wilder ain’t serious, and he’s going to fight Tyson Fury and he doesn’t want to become undisputed, Dillian you’ll get a shot.

“I’m quite respectful, but if Dillian steps in the ring with me, trust me, you best believe me, none of these heavyweights are on my level.

“Come and stand in front of me and talk to me like a man, if you’re serious, and that’s where I’m coming from.”

Hearn is relatively unmoved by the shifting heavyweight landscape. Joshua is still the division’s indisputable star and money-spinning manias against Wilder, Fury and Whyte are inevitable, it’s only a debate as to in which order the dominos fall.

“We haven’t got very long to sign Joshua’s next fight,” Hearn said. “The priority is that he wants to fight Wilder, but his team are not showing a lot of willingness. I don’t believe that will happen.

“Joshua wants the undisputed fight with Wilder but he does also want to fight Dillian Whyte. There’s a very, very good chance that [Dillian] will be next.

But to Joshua the interrogation of his integrity has come as an unwelcome surprise. Three angry heavyweights, who take joy in publicly disparaging him at every turn, have encircled him in a 750lbs inferno of PR horror. Whyte too taking special mention to honour that in his post-fight press conference.

Dereck Chisora came on strong in the early rounds (Getty)

“We were supposed to hear about fighting Joshua directly after Wilder-Fury and there’s nothing,” Whyte said. “The guy’s making a lot of money – he’s got four belts, I don’t think he really cares. It’s about what he’s doing. He’s the man at the moment. I’m sure Eddie doesn’t want the golden egg to get cracked.”

Now Joshua is the totem at the centre of a Bermuda Triangle, trapped on a pedestal of his own success, from where the tides will keep closing in until eventually one contender will manage to shark a decisive nibble.

“When the crowd start cheering, and start saying they want to see Dillian, I don’t want to hear no talk when I whoop him and knock him out. ‘Oh he’s had an easy touch, he should have fought Wilder,” Joshua said when pushed about the potential rematch.

Unfortunately for him that is exactly what everyone will say, for that is the fickle nature of boxing. The sport which roars its samaritans to success like no other but hates to let its heroes wallow in their glory. The same eyes which awe champions to the summit then will their way down until they are left cold, unconscious and alone in an arena of thousands like Chisora last night. Only then, knocked from your perch, do they begin to love you again.