Dillian Whyte wants to fight Anthony Joshua for a third time. The British heavyweight hopes to end their long-standing rivalry by sending Joshua into retirement.
Whyte and Joshua have a history that goes back 16 years. In their first amateur bout, Whyte beat Joshua on points when AJ was just starting out in boxing. They met again as professionals in December 2015, with Joshua winning by knockout in the seventh round to claim the vacant British heavyweight title. Whyte had his moments in that fight, rocking Joshua in the second round.
The two were set to fight again in August 2023, but the bout got cancelled after Whyte failed a drug test. Robert Helenius stepped in as a replacement, and Joshua knocked him out in seven rounds. Later, an investigation found that a contaminated supplement caused Whyte's positive test, and he was cleared to box again.
Joshua, now 35, is looking to get back in the ring after a shock knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, which cost him the IBF heavyweight title. Whyte, 36, last fought in December, scoring a knockout win over Ebenezer Tetteh in Gibraltar. He's now targeting Joshua for his next fight.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports Boxing, Whyte made his intentions clear:
"If he wants to fight, then all they've got to do is call me. I'm always up for fighting AJ. No problem for me. 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."
Whyte believes their third encounter would be an exciting match-up:
"Me and him will always be a good fight. We just have that chemistry. I don't want to lose to him, he doesn't want to lose to me, and we want to prove each other wrong. We want to knock each other out so it will always be a good fight."
The 36-year-old didn't mince words about his ultimate goal for the potential trilogy fight:
"I would love to retire him."
Whyte mentioned that Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, has publicly stated that AJ could fight him next. But Whyte isn't sure if Joshua or his team really want the fight. For now, fans will have to wait and see if this heated rivalry will get its final chapter in the ring.
