Dillian Whyte once again embedded his name among the elites of the heavyweight division after his points decision victory over Joseph Parker on Saturday as the pair delivered a phenomenal show at the O2 Arena in London.

Whyte became the first man in boxing to floor Parker, who had never hit the canvas during the entirety of his pro career, be it in sparring or a bout.

He first went to ground in the second round, and then later again in the ninth.

As both fighters looked thoroughly exhausted near the end, the New Zealander went all-out attack in the final round, managing to floor Whyte in the process, who was narrowly saved by the bell, coming menacingly close to being defeated.

Winning the WBO international heavyweight title and retaining his WBC [Silver] belt, the 30-year-old now must aim for a world title, according to David Haye.

The former heavyweight champion is of the opinion that the hard fought victory on July 28 has provided Whyte the right to go up against world champions, with Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua both in sight.

Haye, present at ringside to witness the action on the night, admitted he was impressed with what he saw inside the ring from his compatriot.

Speaking during the aftermath of the contest, Haye told Sky Sports: “I was very impressed, it was a great fight.

"For Whyte, it was about performing on this stage and showing he is one of the big boys in the division. He showed he deserves a crack at one of the world champions.

“Parker has never been knocked down in sparring or a fight before so that shows how powerful Whyte is.

“Both didn't leave anything in the tank, Whyte took some tremendous shots in that final round, went down, and he showed true heart and grit."

The Hayemaker insisted that Whyte has come a long way since his loss to Anthony Joshua back in December 2015, and he now knows how to dominate proceedings, both at long, as well as short, ranges, lasting the course in the fight.

“He learnt from the Anthony Joshua fight. In that one, when he got hurt, he tried to go toe to toe. This time, when hurt, he held and tried to survive," added Haye.

“Both fighters had spells, but Dillian was able to control the close as well as the long range.

“I thought coming in, if it was a jabbing contest, Dillian's long reach would see him through and it showed true tonight.

“I also thought that Parker's close-range punches in cluster would be superior to Whyte, but that wasn't the case. Dillian beat him at every range, he was able to deliver from all angles.”

Asked about his view on what next for ‘The Body Snatcher’, Haye replied: “I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch. Whyte has to now look at his career, Dereck Chisora wants a rematch, Deontay Wilder is out there, everyone wants Joshua, and this puts him in good stead for the future.”