Whyte wants Joshua showdown

• Published On: 27 January 2025 at 07:07

British heavyweight Dillian Whyte is aiming for a 'trilogy' fight with Anthony Joshua as he prepares to retire his bitter rival.

The heavyweight duo first met on the amateur circuit 16 years ago, with 'The Bodysnatcher' winning by points over Joshua, who had only recently had his first fight.

Their bitter feud was reignited in December 2015, when 'AJ' won the vacant British heavyweight title with an explosive 7th-round knockout victory over Whyte, who had stunned Joshua in the second round before suffering his first professional defeat.

Their highly anticipated rematch was scheduled for August 2023, but was canceled after Whyte returned an adverse finding in a doping test. Robert Helenius, a Finnish heavyweight, stepped in and was knocked out after seven rounds. Whyte was later cleared to box after an investigation determined that the findings were caused by a contaminated supplement.



Joshua is expected to return to the ring for the first time since a shocking knockout loss to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois last September, with Whyte stepping forward to face his rival as he vows to finally send him into retirement.

Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing, 'The Bodysnatcher' welcomed the prospect of facing the 35-year-old for the third time, but stated that he is 'finished' following his defeat to Dubois.

"If he wants to fight, they can just call me. I'm always up for fighting AJ. Not a problem for me. However, I believe he has finished. I believe he made a huge mistake not accepting the immediate rematch with Dubois. It was a world title fight, a big payday, and the ideal opportunity to avenge his knockout loss."


"Me and him will always have a good fight. We just have that chemistry. I don't want to lose to him, and he doesn't want to lose to me. We both want to prove each other wrong. We want to knock each other out so that we can always have a good fight.

"Eddie [Hearn] has publicly stated that Joshua could fight me next, but I'm not sure if he or his people want to, so we'll see. "I'd love to retire him."

Whyte returned to the ring in December and knocked out Ebenezer Tetteh in Gibraltar. The 36-year-old is eager to return to the ring as soon as possible, with a fight date and opponent set to be announced in due course.