Matchroom Boxing has played down speculation that Anthony Joshua will face Dillian Whyte in a rematch later this year, with CEO Frank Smith telling BoxingScene the fight is not currently part of their plans.
The Whyte chatter surfaced after Joshua posted training footage in recent weeks, but Matchroom’s public line suggests the promotion views the rematch as noise rather than a serious next step for a fighter still working back toward full readiness after a traumatic period away from the ring.
Smith was blunt when asked whether Whyte could be next for Joshua.
“Not really. I mean, I don’t believe so. Anything can happen in boxing, but I don’t believe so.”
He added that the priority is Joshua’s condition, not locking in a name prematurely.
“The key is getting him into a position to actually know when he’s ready, rather than picking a date before we know that,” Smith said. “That’s the focus right now.”
On timing, Smith said a summer return would be ideal but stopped short of committing to anything firm: “He’s obviously been ticking over, but it’s very different to what he’s been doing. He’s got to be right, he’s got to be prepared and ready, so hopefully we get some news soon on that.”
Anthony Joshua’s return to training
Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) has not fought since stopping Jake Paul in six rounds in Miami in December 2025. His comeback plans were then disrupted by a fatal car crash in Nigeria that killed two close friends and team members, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami. The event reshaped the timeline for his return, and Matchroom’s language around “readiness” rather than dates reflects that shift.
Joshua is now back in full training, but Smith’s comments make clear that naming an opponent comes second to making sure the former unified heavyweight champion is physically and mentally prepared.
Why Whyte makes no sense right now
Even setting aside Matchroom’s public cooling of the idea, I believe the sporting case for Joshua-Whyte 2 is thin.
Former heavyweight titleholder Dillian Whyte (30-4, 20 KOs) was stopped in 119 seconds by unbeaten prospect Moses Itauma last August. It was not competitive and AJ needs to be tested I think should he head towards a clash with Tyson Fury. ESPN described it as a “devastating Round 1 KO,” while BBC Sport said Itauma needed “less than two minutes” to blow away his British rival. At 37, Whyte is at an advanced stage of his career and coming off the worst loss of it.
Joshua already settled this rivalry. He stopped Whyte in their 2015 professional meeting, and a rematch was announced in 2023 with Matchroom framing the pair as “bitter enemies” with “an astonishing history of violence.” That fight was then called off after Whyte returned adverse analytical findings in a VADA test, and Joshua boxed Robert Helenius instead.
That 2023 episode is telling. Whyte was already functioning as a warm-up opponent in Joshua’s career planning two years ago. His stock has only fallen since. Recycling that same fight in 2026, after a first-round knockout defeat and a failed drug test, would be selling nostalgia in place of sporting ambition.
The heavyweight market points elsewhere
The wider picture makes the Whyte rumor look even more disconnected from where Joshua’s career should be heading.
Frank Warren told Sky Sports that Tyson Fury has “indicated” he would return to fight Joshua in 2026 if the “deal is right.” Separate reporting from Uncrowned, via Yahoo Sports, suggested both men would compete in separate bouts before a long-awaited showdown. Whether or not that road map materialises, the direction of travel is upward, toward the biggest available commercial and sporting prize in the heavyweight division.
Whyte offers none of that. He holds no title. He is not on a winning streak. He would not move Joshua closer to a Fury fight or any other meaningful target. A rematch would look like career maintenance dressed up as a domestic grudge match, .
What happens next?
Matchroom have not committed to a date or an opponent. Smith’s comments suggest a summer return is the working ambition, but readiness will dictate the schedule. Joshua is back in full training, and the next concrete announcement will likely come once Matchroom are satisfied he is prepared to compete at the level expected of him.
For now, the Whyte rematch appears to be off the table. Given the state of Whyte’s career and the options still available to Joshua, it should stay there.
