Dillian Whyte has had his say on the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
The Brixton heavyweight, who is plotting a return after being stopped by Tyson Fury earlier this year, has shared the ring with Joshua.
Whyte was on the wrong end of a seventh-round knockout against the former heavyweight champion when the pair clashed at the O2 Arena in London seven years ago.
And the 34-year-old has urged Joshua — who challenges Usyk in a rematch for the WBA Super, IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles on Saturday at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia – to get back his aggressive streak for the fight.
When speaking Sky Sports about his former foe, Whyte said:
“This is a massive fight, the biggest fight of his career.”
“I do expect him to bounce back, he’s a British fighter, like me, and I only support my own.”
“I do hope he gets the job done and it will be good for me if he wins as well.”
Joshua, who will vie for Fury’s recently-relinquished Ring Magazine title against Usyk as he looks to become a three-time unified champion, goes back into the ring with the Ukrainian 11 months on from being outpointed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last September.
Whyte continued about Joshua:
“He’ll be extremely nervous, alert and cautious but that’s not a bad thing.”
“This changes everything for his life, career and history so he may be feeling okay but I think he’ll be nervous.”
“To be aggressive is the right mindset that he needs to go into this fight. I think that’s the only way he wins the fight.”
You can watch the interview courtesy of Sky Sports Boxing:
"[It's] the biggest fight of his career, I do expect him to bounce back!"👊@DillianWhyte has his say on #UsykJoshua2 💬 pic.twitter.com/g9YTS3KUo8
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 16, 2022