Anthony Joshua has looked back on the amateur loss to Dillian Whyte that planted the seed for a rivalry set to culminate this year.
The two Brits faced off in 2009, with Whyte scoring a knockdown before winning the decision over Finchley’s Joshua. It’s something ‘AJ’ remembers well – even despite his success between then and now.
Speaking as part of a DAZN documentary series, the two-time world champion reflected on the loss and its aftermath.
“I invited all my friends down, and I lost to Dillian Whyte. I was supposed to rematch him in the amateurs, but he got banned from the amateurs because they found he out he was a professional kickboxer with a vast amount of experience.
Dillian gave me a tough fight, but I feel like tough time can either make you or break you and, for me, it was tough but it made me. I didn’t give up, I carried on. It made me tougher.
As he had turned professional, I was kind of heading towards to Olympic group, and they was always saying ‘when this boy turns pro we’re gonna finish his career.'”
Indeed, Whyte was already a British Heavyweight Kickboxing champion at the time of facing Joshua – his first amateur bout – and had also performed once under MMA rules.
The issues with the ABA led him to turn professional two years later with just six amateur fights under his belt. Joshua would join him in the paid ranks in 2013 after winning Olympic Gold.
It was 2015 when the pair met again, this time for the British Heavyweight title. Whyte did have success in wobbling ‘AJ’, but the Olympian had too much for him in return and won by stunning knockout in the seventh round.
Now – with successes and failures for both men in between – they will fight again on August 12 at London’s O2 Arena.