Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte’s rivalry remains as one of the most intense in British boxing. Now, ‘AJ’ has answered whether he will rematch Whyte, after his fellow Londoner failed a drugs test in the build-up to their proposed bout last summer.
With the scores tied at 1-1, after Whyte’s amateur win and Joshua’s British title victory, Joshua-Whyte II was scheduled to take place on August 12th, but was cancelled after Whyte’s drug test returned ‘adverse analytical findings’ for the third time in his career.
Instead, Eddie Hearn found a short-term replacement in Robert Helenius and ‘AJ’ obliged to score a first stoppage win in almost three years.
Since then, Joshua has fought once more and scored another knockout victory with an impressive display against tricky Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin, in what is being lauded as one of Joshua’s best performances for a number of years.
Meanwhile. Whyte has been silent on social media, with many expecting that ‘The Bodysnatcher’ could well retire from the sport.
However, recent reports have emerged where Whyte has been cleared to return to boxing, with rumours that the test result came as a result of a contaminated nutritional supplement. In an interview with Seconds Out, ‘AJ’ seemed happy to face his foe.
“Yeah, if he is cleared, let’s get it on.
“I’ll fight Dillian, you know what it is? I just enjoy fighting. I enjoy the lifestyle, it gives me so much purpose in life. So, I’ll fight Dillian, I’ll fight everyone.”
Joshua will first fight Francis Ngannou on Friday night, where the victor has been promised a shot at the unified world champion, either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk.
However, the rematch clause in the Fury-Usyk contract could lead to ‘AJ’ taking an interim fight, possibly opening the door for another showdown with Whyte.