Talk about some bold talk. 36 year old Dillian Whyte, who looked nothing short of awful in his last fight, this when he huffed and puffed his way to an incredibly sloppy (yet at the same time, it must be said, fun to watch, in on odd kind of way) win over huge underdog Ebenezer Tetteh, has come out and said that his former rival Anthony Joshua is “finished.” Former rival? Whyte, speaking with Sky Sports, wants to reignite the rivalry and fight AJ again.
Joshua is shopping for his next fight now that a massive showdown with Tyson Fury is off the table due to Fury’s “retirement,” and Whyte’s name is among those that Eddie Hearn has reeled off as possibilities. And Whyte, 31-3(21) wants it, with him saying he will end 35 year old Joshua’s career.
“[A fight with Joshua] sounds perfect for me,” Whyte said. “They don’t need to ask me twice. They talk about me as an option, but they haven’t said anything to me, so it’s just negotiation tactics from them. But I’m up for the fight and ready to fight again. If he wants to fight, then all they’ve got to do is call me. I’m always up for fighting AJ. However, personally, I think he’s finished. I think he made a huge mistake not taking the immediate rematch with Dubois. It was a world title fight, a great payday and the perfect opportunity to avenge his knockout loss. He will forever have to suffer the memes of being face-planted at Wembley by Dubois.”
Joshua, by fighting on, runs the risk of being face-planted by his next foe, or maybe the one after that. Some fans do agree with Whyte when he says AJ is “finished,” that his punch resistance is pretty much gone. But Joshua, 28-4(25) is a warrior, so Hearn is fond of saying, and he’s a warrior “who would fight anyone.” There is talk of a big fight in Africa against Martin Bakole, who is yet another fighter who has vowed to flatten Joshua should he get the chance to do so. While Turki Alalshikh still wants to see Joshua fight Deontay Wilder (who at this point seems to have less left than both Joshua AND Whyte).
Joshua is still a star, and a fight with him guarantees a fighter a hefty payday. Whyte, to repeat, looked dreadful against Tetteh (a man Dubois wiped out inside a round), and he may now be looked at as a safe comeback foe for Joshua. The two do have history, at both amateur and pro level, and another fight between Joshua and Whyte would sell.
Whyte says another fight between himself and AJ would deliver action:
“He will turn up to fight me,” Whyte said of his fellow Brit. “If me and AJ fight, if we’re 100 years old, he’ll turn up to fight me.”
Don’t be surprised if this fight happens next in the careers of both men.
