Calling Dillian Whyte a friend would probably be a bit hyperbolic for Derek Chisora.

That doesn’t mean Chisora wishes him harm.

When it was announced that his former rival accepted a fight with Moses Itauma, Chisora didn’t understand the point. With a 17-year age gap between the two, Chisora viewed it as a lose-lose situation for Whyte.

Still, the 37-year-old paid no attention to Chisora’s warnings. In hindsight, maybe he should’ve listened.

The power, speed, angles – it was all too much as Whyte (31-4, 21 KOs) was dropped and stopped in the first round Saturday night at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Chisora, who came up short against Whyte on two separate occasions, couldn’t believe what he was watching. While the two were never quite fond of one another, he didn’t want things to play out the way they did.

“I’m just sad that Dillian had to go out like that,” Chisora told The Ring immediately afterward.

Whyte’s future is now murkier than ever. Itauma’s, however, is bright as can be.

The 20-year-old contender is ranked in the top 12 by each of the four sanctioning bodies, including No. 1 by the WBO. Despite his age, Ituama is now being mentioned as a realistic opponent for undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

His team nevertheless has floated the idea of facing less imposing opponents.

Whatever Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) chooses to do, Chisora will observe from the sidelines.

As for Whyte, he could decide to fight again. The veteran has built up the sort of equity to do whatever he pleases. Whether he calls it a career or carries on, the indelible memories of him sprawled out on the canvas have been burned into Chisora’s mind.

“It was quite sad to see,” Chisora said. “I was very sad.”