Whyte ready to fight Joshua
British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte has declared his readiness to take on Anthony Joshua a second time, following the latter’s shock knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The “Body Snatcher”, who lost their first encounter by seventh-round stoppage a decade ago, believes Joshua’s career is nearing its end.
“If he wants to fight, then all they’ve got to do is call me,” Whyte told Sky Sports.
“I’m always up for fighting AJ. No problem for me. However, personally, I think he’s finished.”
READ MORE:Dillian Whyte Delivers Harsh Verdict On Fury-Usyk Rematch: “It’ll Be Much Harder This Time”…
Whyte’s comments come days after WBC champion Tyson Fury announced his retirement following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, potentially scuppering hopes of a long-awaited showdown with Joshua.
However, promoter Eddie Hearn believes Fury’s retirement announcement is merely a negotiating tactic.
“If you ever want to come back and get the max, you have to retire first, haven’t you? Someone then has to bring you out of retirement,” Hearn told iFL TV.
“I think he’ll want to fight again, I think he will get bored and he will know the British public want to see the AJ fight.”
Whyte and Joshua were scheduled for a rematch in 2023, but the bout was cancelled after Whyte failed a drugs test during preparations.
The two-time heavyweight champion Joshua has remained silent on Fury’s retirement, with Hearn revealing he hasn’t heard from his fighter since last Monday’s announcement.
“What do you think goes on, do you think Josh is going to phone me up and go, ‘Oh Ed have you seen the news mate’. He’s not that kind of guy,” Hearn added.
Joshua, who recently visited Nigeria and met with President Bola Tinubu, had expressed his desire for the all-British showdown with Fury in 2025 before the Brit announced his retirement.
