Anthony Joshua Would Love a Knockout Victory to Conclude Dillian Whyte Rivalry
When two-time heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (25-3, 22 KO’s) next slides into the ring, he will be mixing a bit of the new with the old. For that match-up, he will have his new trainer, elite trainer Derrick James, in corner. And across the ring he will face off with long-time rival Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte (29-3, 19 KO’s).
Thus far, Whyte has one win in the amateurs and Joshua claimed a knockout win as a pro. So on August 12, they will likely settle the score once and for all. Given their cantankerous past, it meets expectation to hear that AJ wants to win this next affair in grand style. In a recent interview with TalkSport, Joshua’s long time promoter Eddie Hearn delved into a bit more of the two bruisers’ mindsets.
“This is the problem with this fight a little bit, in terms of common sense, because it’s a fight that is built off of emotion. They wanted to fight each other. Dillian Whyte wants to get his hands on Anthony Joshua, Anthony Joshua wants to knockout Dillian Whyte and I think that is when you will see the best of AJ!”
DO OR DIE
As a team, Whyte will mark the second assignment that Joshua and Derrick James tackle together. In their first encounter, AJ, ranked #2 (WBO), #3 (WBC), #3 (WBA) and #4 (IBF), was able to secure a unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin. Now, as his promoter mentioned, Joshua’s goal is to put The Body Snatcher to sleep.
If he can, that close the chapter on his years-long saga with Whyte to satisfaction. If AJ cannot prevail over, Whyte this would mark disaster. That is because he is already scheduled to go to war with one-time heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in a highly lucrative bout in Dubai. It will be interesting to see how Joshua handles himself under the bright lights on August 12.
