Dmitry Salita, promoter of Jermaine Franklin, thinks the rumoured rematch between Anthony Joshua and DIllian Whyte is nothing more than “celebrity boxing’ and that it is a “big event” rather than a big fight.
‘AJ’ has had a prolonged rivalry with Whyte for over a decade, after losing to the ‘Body Snatcher’ in his third amateur bout.
However, the score was settled in the professional ring, as the two-time world champion knocked Whyte out with a lethal uppercut back in 2015.
Now, following back-to-back defeats, Joshua is looking to get his career back on track, with Eddie Hearn detailing plans for a warm-up fight in April, before facing Whyte once again in the summer.
As for Whyte, the 35-year-old struggled to overcome Jermaine Franklin in November, winning a close majority decision.
Salita told Boxing King Media that a rematch between the two Brits makes little sense, as it would not be the statement win for Joshua that is desperately needed in his career.
“This Dillian Whyte fight with Anthony Joshua in the summer, to me, that doesn’t say anything. It’s not a statement for Anthony Joshua, it is celebrity boxing. Both of the guys are big names, and it is just celebrity boxing.”
“It is like Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, like Floyd Mayweather fighting Manny Pacquiao now. Two very good fighters, at some point in time, but the fact that they are fighting each other today? Dillian Whyte is 1-3, if your counting his fight with Jermaine, which was just the mercy of the judges. It should really be counted as a loss and he got stopped [in his other defeats].”
“He is a big name and I think Dillian has it in him, maybe, for one more fight, but he needs to fight someone like Jermaine or an Otto Wallin. Somebody real, not a Demsey [McKean] type of guy, a real guy that people can say, ‘You know what, Dillian has still got it, he is fine’. Only then would a fight with Joshua be meaningful.”
“Speaking purely as a boxing fan, today, Dillian Whyte versus Anthony Joshua is a big event. It is not a big fight.”
It appears as though Salita’s man will be next in line for Joshua, as ‘AJ’ makes his comeback in April. A fight which even Eddie Hearn has admitted will be a make or break for the two-time heavyweight champion.