The two-time heavyweight champion is in search of an opponent after rejecting the chance to take on rival Daniel Dubois in an immediate rematch next month
Anthony Joshua’s former rival Dillian Whyte believes the two-time heavyweight champion “made a huge mistake” in not taking an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois.
Joshua’s career appears to be at a crossroad at the moment. It looked likely that ‘AJ’ would finally go toe-to-toe with Tyson Fury later this year, however, the ‘Gypsy King’ shocked the boxing world recently after announcing his retirement from the sport. It now means ‘AJ’ is in search of a new dance partner as he looks to get back in the win column. The 35-year-old was brutally beaten in his last fight against Dubois back in September. Joshua was dropped four times in total before suffering a devastating knockout in the fifth round at Wembley.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has recently revealed his star client, Joshua, has seven different options for his next fight if Fury decides to remain retired. On the list is Whyte – who went face-to-face with ‘AJ’ back in 2015. ‘The Body Snatcher’ will be looking to get his revenge after suffering a knockout defeat in the seventh round.
Whyte, 36, insists Joshua missed out on a golden opportunity in opting against the immediate sequel with Dubois as rumours now begin to circulate over a future dust-up. “He made a huge mistake not taking the immediate rematch with Dubois,” he told Sky Sports News. “It was a world title fight, a great payday and the perfect opportunity.
“He will forever have to suffer the memes of being face-planted at Wembley by Dubois. When I lost to [Alexander] Povetkin, I crashed Eddie Hearn’s live interview and demanded the rematch. Nothing else mattered until I beat him in the rematch. It’s a mindset thing. I want to fight AJ and Tyson again because they both beat me.”
After Joshua rejected the chance to take on Dubois again, ‘Triple D’ will now face Joseph Parker in Riyadh on February 22 in what promises to be a blockbuster showdown. The winner of the heavyweight showdown could set up a sequel with Joshua. That said, the current IBF world champion is currently leaning towards a second bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Despite Fury insisting he’s done with the sport, should he choose to come back and take on Joshua, he must reverse his decision in the next few weeks, according to Hearn. The boxing promoter told the Daily Mail: “None of us know what Fury will do next, but if we are to see the fight in the summer, he would probably have to come out of retirement in the next three or four weeks. After that, the summer gets difficult for a fight of this size. The future? Hopefully […] I think he will be back, but it’s in his hands.”