Joshua keen for another ‘tear up’ with Whyte
More than two years after Anthony Joshua knocked out Dillian Whyte in the seventh round of their 2016 bout, the IBF and WBA (Super) heavyweight champion is ready for another “tear up” with his arch rival.
Whyte holds a victory over Joshua from their amateur days in 2009 but Joshua avenged that to end the Brixton fighter’s unbeaten record despite suffering the biggest scare of his career to that point in the second round.
While Joshua has gone on from strength to strength since, as he prepares for his unification fight with Joseph Parker on 31 March, Whyte’s career stalled through injury before six wins in a row propelled him to
within one fight of a world title shot, should he beat Lucas Browne on Saturday.
He may have to wait for that fight should he win however, with Joshua eying American Deontay Wilder next, but Eddie Hearn admitted his fighter would also be interested in a second tussle with Whyte.
"I know that Joshua will fight Dillian Whyte again,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “I think if you asked him and said ‘Tell me one fight in the division you want?’ He could say Dillian Whyte, because he loved it, and he feels as though he wasn't his best, because he lost his rag a little bit.
“But he's improved so much and he loves having a tear-up, and he knows Dillian will give him a tear-up. He loves the build-up. He wants people to go at him at the pressers, AJ. But they seem to lose their bark a little bit when they're in front of him.”
White is currently the WBC’s No 1 contender for the title held by Wilder but Browne will surpass him should he win on Saturday night.
“It's a really big fight for the division and the winner - Wilder and AJ are looking at this fight and saying the winner is a million per cent on my radar,” Hearn added.
“All AJ talks about is fighting Dillian Whyte again, because he seems to really want to do that. Of course Lucas Browne is a former world champion who is undefeated, so if he beats Dillian, all of a sudden he's a major player.”