Dillian Whyte makes winning return in Castlebar

DILLIAN WHYTE MADE a winning return to the ring with a three-round victory over Christian Hammer in Castlebar.

The former WBC interim heavyweight champion, fighting for the first time since clearing his name of doping offences, proved too strong for his Romanian-born opponent in County Mayo.

Hammer failed to get up from his stool for the fourth round, forcing the referee to stop the bout and hand Whyte his 30th professional victory.

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The 35-year-old Briton had not fought since his victory over Jermaine Franklin at Wembley in November 2022.

He had been lined up to face Anthony Joshua last August but the proposed match-up never happened after Whyte tested positive for a banned substance.

Whyte protested his innocence and was cleared to resume his career after it was accepted he had consumed a contaminated supplement.

On the same ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’ card, Ray Moylette won what was perhaps his final career fight against Reuquen Cona Facundo Arce.

The Mayo man enjoyed a thrilling 76-75 victory in the super lightweight bout on an emotional night on home soil.

Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan lost to Sofiane Khati at middleweight, while Thomas Carty overcame Pavel Sour in their heavyweight showdown.