Dillian Whyte stops Christian Hammer in third round for victory in first fight since November 2022 | Boxing News

Dillian Whyte made an explosive return to boxing with a third-round stoppage of Christian Hammer in his first fight since November 2022.

Whyte has been cleared to resume his career after a positive drug test recorded ahead of a scheduled clash with Anthony Joshua last August was revealed to have been caused by a contaminated supplement, with Whyte always protesting his innocence.

The 35-year-old, fighting in Castlebar, Ireland on St Patrick’s Day, beat Hammer in quick time after his Romania-born rival was hauled out ahead of the fourth round.

Whyte inflicted a number of body shots in the opening round and continued to boss proceedings during the second three minutes.

The Brixton fighter was a little wild in the third round but the damage seemed to have been done with Hammer – who also has defeats to Joe Joyce, Tyson Fury, Hughie Fury and Luis Ortiz on a 27-11 CV – not returning.

Whyte took his pro record to 30-3, with his only defeats coming at the hands of Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin and Joshua.

Whyte avenged his fifth-round loss to Povetkin in August 2020 by winning the pair’s rematch a year later when he stopped the Russian in the fourth round.

The Brit has now won back-to-back fights, with Sunday’s success against Hammer following a majority-decision victory over Jermaine Franklin 16 months ago at Wembley Arena.

Speaking to Sky Sports before meeting Hammer, Whyte said: “‘I’d love to have one more crack at a world title. That’s the goal.

“I’ve done almost everything there is to do in boxing. I’ve been on the good and the bad. I just need to win a world title and then that will be the icing on the cake.”

Whyte fought Fury for the WBC belt in April 2022, where he was stopped in the sixth round.