Whyte labours to victory in comeback

Whyte, 34, almost stopped Franklin in the final seconds after 12 mostly stale, uneventful rounds.

Two judges gave Whyte the nod with cards of 116-112, while the third saw it as a 115-115 draw.

Anthony Joshua was watching ringside as eyes turn to a potential rematch between the British old rivals in the new year.

As Whyte exchanged a few cordial words with Joshua at ringside, Franklin expressed discontent with the scorecards and called for a rematch.

“I felt like I got robbed on the decision, I felt like I did enough,” the 29-year-old said.

Whyte was fighting under the tutelage of his new trainer Buddy McGirt for the first time and admitted he was “fighting to a new set of instructions”, revealing his corner told him to stay behind his jab.

“An undefeated heavyweight is the hardest thing to beat on this planet,” Whyte said.

“He’s undefeated and he’s got a lot of beans in his body. His stock rose tonight.

“I could’ve probably been a bit more active and let off a few more big shots.”

Whyte had 19 knockouts on his record before his encounter with Franklin and there were high hopes of an explosive return inside the OVO Arena in Wembley.

The Jamaica-born fighter was in action for the first time since being stopped by WBC champion Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium in April.

But Whyte set the tone for a slow-paced fight from the first bell, preferring to feel out Franklin rather than push for early success.

It was the American who was throwing most of the punches and he did some minor damage to Whyte in the third with a quick right and left-hand combination.

Franklin landed another long right in the fourth, with hardly anything of note coming back from Whyte.

Just as it seemed a snail’s pace had been established, Whyte fired off a flurry of hits in a welcome expression of intent. But the moment was fleeting.

The fifth round, and the entire fight in truth, followed the same pattern.

Whyte would momentarily inject some fire into the fight, pushing Franklin back, only to take his foot off the gas. – BBC Sport.