“They Use My Name as Negotiation Tactics”- Dillian Whyte on Whether He’ll Ever Fight Anthony Joshua Again

Dillian Whyte might be the most avoided fighter in the heavyweight division, who has been vocal about facing every single A-lister on the roster. However, ‘The Body Snatcher’ hasn’t received appropriate responses from the other side, having very few viable names on his radar.

That said, he has been demanding a rematch with Anthony Joshua since his loss in the original clash of 2015. Nevertheless, Joshua hasn’t shown any interest in the bout. So, it has urged Dillian Whyte to compete against other contenders. However, Whyte still has his eyes on the bout as he lashed at the matchmakers for using his name as clout.

In a chat with IFL TV , Dillian Whyte said, “A lot of time he uses my name just to close deals. A lot of time they use my name to get other people to negotiate with. The people know that I will take the fight because I want to fight Joshua. I want to be in big fights. So they use my name as negotiation tactics.”

After defeating Alexander Povetkin, Dillian Whyte had become the WBC Interim heavyweight champion. The particular status mandated him to challenge Tyson Fury for the WBC world title. However, no champion offered any interest in facing Whyte. Despite the mandatory status, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and several other names were rumored to battle Fury.

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That said, a world title shot seems far from Whyte’s corner at this stage. He might have to return in another non-title or Interim title clash. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua already seems level above him and a win over Usyk in September will earn a unification bout for ‘AJ’. So, he may not opt to re-engage with Dillian Whyte anytime soon. Here’s a look back at the first pro clash between them.

Dillian Whyte vs Anthony Joshua from 2015

The first fight between ‘AJ’ and ‘The Body Snatcher happened at the 02 Arena in Greenwich. While both the fellow Britishers locked horns in a gruesome scrap, the fight was pre-loaded with bad blood and trash-talking. Hence, both men displayed their violent sides. Besides, Whyte could see some early success by cracking Joshua with a barrage of punches.

However, Anthony Joshua regained his momentum in the later stage and knocked out Dillian Whyte cold in round seven. There’s no denying that Joshua was the better fighter that night. But several years down the road, we might see a different outcome in the rematch.

How do you see Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte 2 happening?

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