Dillian Whyte has offered some shock words of encouragement to Anthony Joshua.
The two Englishmen have been bitter rivals ever since they fought as amateurs in 2009. Whyte won their first meeting but got knocked out cold when they rematched as professionals in 2015.
A trilogy was supposed to take place in August 2023, but an ‘adverse analytical finding’ in a pre-fight drug test meant Whyte was replaced by Robert Helenius.
There’s still unfinished business with Anthony Joshua, and ‘The Body Snatcher’ is eager to ensure that the former two-time heavyweight world champion doesn’t retire after his shock loss to Daniel Dubois in September.
Dillian Whyte’s kind words for Anthony Joshua
As many people are calling for Anthony Joshua to bring an end to his legendary career, Dillian Whyte is encouraging his rival to carry on.
‘The Body Snatcher’ is convinced Joshua has still got a lot left to offer, despite the fact he looked a shell of his former self against Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
“He’s still got a lot left in the tank and he’s still a big draw. And as you can see in the fight, he’s still a big puncher. He had Dubois going before Dubois landed the finishing blow,” Whyte told Sky Sports.
“It’s hard to say, he’s young, he’s strong, he looks in amazing shape. He’s still got a lot of fight left in him. People put too much emphasis on a defeat in heavyweight boxing. That’s why a lot of fights don’t happen.
“They don’t get made because people put a lot of emphasis on win, lose, and draw instead of enjoying the fact that two top guys are fighting each other now, which wasn’t happening a few years ago.”
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury next?
Tony Sims, who worked with Joshua at the start of his career, has advised his old friend against pursuing a rematch with Dubios.
Instead, he thinks a clash with Tyson Fury should be the priority. First, ‘The Gyspy King’ will go looking for revenge when he squares off against Oleksandr Usyk in a highly anticipated rematch on December 21.
“I think the younger ones now, leave them alone,” Sims said.
“The young ones come through. If you look at every heavyweight champion, like [Muhammad] Ali, Larry Holmes, the young guys always come through to take over from the old guns. No matter how good you are. The youth always overcomes experience eventually.
“Joshua’s 34 now going on 35, he’s been a great champion. You’ve got a young fighter who’s hungry in Daniel Dubois and he’s took that title. I think the obvious fight is Tyson Fury and Joshua still, whether Tyson wins or loses against Usyk.
“I think that’s the obvious fight for Joshua next. I think that’s still a massive fight. Both of them are later on in age and I think that’s a great fight for both of them.”