Eight years on from their British Heavyweight title fight, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will meet once more in a fight that many fans are treating as last chance saloon.
Both now have three losses, Whyte’s being ‘AJ’, Alexandr Povetkin and Tyson Fury, and Joshua’s being a shock against Andy Ruiz Jr and Oleksandr Usyk twice.
They’ve each bounced back with a win over American heavyweight, Jermaine Franklin, and find themselves facing off as the heavyweight division is in the early stages of being dictated by mega money from Saudi Arabia.
A win means moving back to the very top level, and there is more at stake than the British title here.
Fans are eager to see whether or not the old animosity will come through in a firefight, or if the rivals now two well-seasoned or cautious to roll that particular dice.
Speaking in his latest column for DAZN, former cruiserweight world champion, Tony Bellew, looked at the rivalry.
“August 12 could be the last part of this heavyweight story because I’ve got absolutely no idea where the loser goes.”
“The fact these two go back years inside the ring means that we’ll get the best possible versions on the night, and both will know exactly what’s at stake.
Some questions were asked of both men after their respective battles with Franklin, but everything will be answered here because this is two fighters who won’t give an inch on the night because of their long history and because of what lies in front of them.”
Bellew went on to say Joshua was his favourite for the win, as he believes Whyte’s agression – which did find him success in the first bout before he was stopped in the seventh – will ultimately work against him.
“As it stands, Joshua must start the favourite. He holds a stoppage win over Whyte in the professional game and he knows he can hurt him when the time comes.
The Whyte we didn’t see against Fury is what I expect to see next month but does that version play into Joshua’s hands? I’ve always said that Joshua is better when opponents come to him. That’s how I see Whyte approaching the fight and I believe it could be his downfall.”