“Does Dillian Whyte Still Have That Instinct in Him?” – Anthony Joshua

Rushing on a stunned opponent can be bad, but failing to seize the opportunity is even worse. British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua feels Dillian Whyte did just that.

Whyte had a rough night on August 22. The British boxer suffered a devastating loss to his opponent, Alexander Povetkin. Despite everything he had gone through for the past 1000 days, Whyte could not secure a date to fight for the WBC heavyweight championship.

Joshua, who was present for the event, questioned Whyte’s “instinct” as the fight was hyped up as “maximum violence.”

“I asked [Sky Sports expert] Johnny [Nelson], ‘Does Dillian [Whyte] still have that instinct in him?’ Because the fight was called maximum violence,” Joshua told Sky Sports (Transcribed by Boxing Scene).

Anthony Joshua explains why he goes for the kill

Dillian looked great until the finish. The “Body Snatcher” even scored two knockdowns in the fourth round. Joshua wanted Whyte to go for the finish. However, Dillian did not capitalize on the opportunity, and Povetkin turned the tables to knockout Whyte.

“When he had the opportunity to take him out, I wanted to see that maximum violence. That’s why for me when I smell blood, I go in there to take someone out, but sometimes you can get caught in the exchange.

“But at the end of the day, if you leave it a round or two later, as we’ve seen there anything can happen. The tactic go out the window. You’ve just got to remember this is a fight, you’ve got to take the man out and move on to the next.”

Nevertheless, Joshua respects Dillian Whyte and is willing to fight him as long as he is the champion. “AJ” said Dillian will recover from the loss and it will be nothing but a “blip” in his career.

Joshua might be right on this one. Post-fight, Whyte interrupted Eddie Hearn’s press conference and requested for an immediate rematch.

Who do you see winning the rematch (if it happens)?