Dillian Whyte got off the floor to beat Oscar Rivas to claim the interim WBC heavyweight and finally emerge from the shadow of Anthony Joshua. However he may still face a lengthy wait to get the world title fight he has long craved.

Whyte never tends to make things easy. Rivas looked to have Whyte down and out in the ninth round, when a huge right uppercut, followed by a left hook, dropped him heavily early in the round. But Whyte is nothing if not durable and regained his composure to control the final three rounds and claim a unanimous points decision, scores of 115-112 (twice) and 116-111 reflecting his dominance.

Much has been made of the time he has spent as No 1 in the WBC rankings, which now stands at more than 600 days, without getting a shot at their champion, Deontay Wilder. A lot of contenders have come and gone in that period. He found himself sidelined by one mandatory contender, then while negotiations for a Joshua-Wilder fight ground to a fruitless conclusion. One champion (Wilder) did not want to face him, another (Joshua) did not want to pay him what Whyte felt he was worth.

That worth was more than the £5m he was reportedly offered to face Joshua in April at Wembley Stadium for the WBA, WBO and IBF titles. After negotiations collapsed, and other options fell through, Joshua ended up facing Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden, in New York, last month, and suffering a shock defeat.

While a big part of Whyte must feel that he should have been the fighter to beat Joshua, Ruiz’s victory has given Whyte the chance, really for the first time, to have a career not wholly defined by his rivalry with Joshua.

After a string of tough fights, Rivas was another sturdy test for Whyte. Unbeaten in 26 fights, the Colombian, who now calls Montreal home, had the power, speed of hand and ambition to cause Whyte problems.

Rivas began well, looking sharp and forcing Whyte backwards. In the second round, though, a stunning right hand from Whyte appeared to hurt the Colombian, although Rivas withstood Whyte’s follow-up attack.

Whyte began to take control, working behind his jab, and keeping Rivas off him. He managed to force Whyte back to the ropes for most of the seventh round, but Whyte looked comfortable trying to draw the his sting.

In the eighth, Whyte fought back with a good left-right and as Rivas tried to muscle Whyte around, the Londoner smothered him and held.And when Rivas did land a good right, Whyte responded with an uppercut that got the crowd on their feet.

Things dramatically changed in the ninth, as Rivas knocked down Whyte and looked close to stopping him. Whyte rode the storm, though, as he has done several times in his career before and closed out the victory.

Getting to Wilder will not be straightforward. The American has announced that he will next box Luis Ortiz, the Cuban, in November. After that, a rematch with Tyson Fury is said to be agreed. It will be down to Eddie Hearn, the promoter, to ensure the wait is not too long.

Dave Allen was taken to hospital after leaving the ring on a stretcher following his defeat to David Price in a heavyweight clash on the undercard in London. Allen was pulled out by his corner at the end of the 10th-round, after taking a steady beating from Price, the former British champion and Olympic bronze medal-winner.

He received oxygen while sat down, but as he tried to get off his stool, his legs buckled and he was transferred to a stretcher.