Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Dillian Whyte is the “frontrunner” to be Anthony Joshua’s next challenger, at Wembley on April 13th. With no real progress made with regards to a huge Joshua-Deontay Wilder unification showdown, Hearn says Whyte will likely get his return meeting with AJ. Hearn did say that nothing is in any way set in stone yet (if Wilder and Tyson Fury are unable to make a deal for their rematch, maybe then Wilder, or Fury, would agree to face AJ, Hearn suggested), but Whyte is certainly in the frame.
And “The Body Snatcher” is definitely deserving of a crack at a world title. Whyte, speaking with Sky Sports, said that in his mind he and AJ are one and one, Whyte having scored an amateur points victory over Joshua some years ago, and then AJ stopping Whyte in a thrilling fight in December of 2015. “He won one and I won one,” Whyte said. “I want a decider.”
Whyte insists he had niggling injuries that affected his performance in the fight of three years ago, and that he is a better puncher with better overall fitness and strength now. No doubt, Joshua would/will enter the ring as a pretty big favourite in a return clash with his fellow Brit, but Whyte did rock AJ badly in the Dec. 2015 battle. “I almost nailed him,” Whyte said. Would there be enough fan interest for a rematch to become a big seller? A Wembley sell-out even?
Aside from Joshua against either Wilder, Fury or, perhaps, Jarrell Miller, there is no more suitable April challenger for Joshua than Whyte. And as Whyte says, “we have history.” Whyte is convinced he can beat Joshua. Imagine how such a result would shake up the entire heavyweight division. It could happen and Whyte sure deserves his chance. One other thing seems certain: a return between these two would in no way be dull. Someone would get taken out.
Whyte staggered Joshua three years ago and maybe he could go one better and put him down and out in a rematch. As AJ said himself recently, both of them have improved as fighters since 2015.
