Anthony Joshua riles up Dillian Whyte after threatening to slug him

By Rob Smith - 08/11/2020 - Comments

Anthony Joshua got Dillian Whyte agitated after threatening to sock him during his fight against Alexander Povetkin on August 22 at the Fight Camp at the Matchroom Boxing’s Brentwood, Essex, UK.

Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) is taking what he hopes is his final fight before challenging for the WBC heavyweight title against the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy match.

Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) has other ideas, as he wants to be the one that meets up against the Fury-Wilder 3 winner, and he’s in the position to earn that fight. All Povetkin needs to do is defeat Whyte, 32, and he’ll be locked in as the new WBC mandatory challenger.

Joshua might sock Whyte

As for why Joshua is talking about socking Whyte in his gob, it’s hard to say. All the trash-talking that Whyte has done over the years might have gotten on Joshua’s last nerve. Joshua already thrashed Whyte in 2015 in stopping him in the seventh round. While some would agree that Whyte has improved since then, but so has Joshua.

“I might get in there and give him a punch as well,” Joshua said to Sky Sports. “You’re getting me psyched up now.”

Most boxing fans would agree that Joshua’s personability has changed lately, as he’s not afraid to voice his opinions about different fighters now.

Before, Joshua seemed to have an internal governor that would prevent him from speaking his mind. Not anymore. AJ isn’t bashful now in telling it like it is about fighters, and it’s refreshing. At least now, we know what Joshua really thinks instead of us just guessing.

Anthony Joshua riles up Dillian Whyte after threatening to slug him

Whyte fires back at Joshua

“He might get a box if he does that,” Whyte said to Sky Sports.  “If he does that, he might get a box, there and then, one box.

“He thinks it’s a game, but I don’t play games with these guys. They think it’s a game, scream, and shout and get in each other’s faces, but if he does, he will get a box. He just talks a lot of c**p. I’m sick and tired of all these guys that’s talking, talking, talking all the time.”

Is Whyte on Joshua’s level?

In a fistfight, Joshua would be a real handful for Whyte, and it could end badly for him. If Whyte still has his gloves, he won’t stand a chance against Joshua with his bare fists if he jumps into the ring and starts teeing off on him.

Whyte is a good B-level fighter, but he’s proven repeatedly that he doesn’t possess the talent that we see from fighters like Tyson Fury and Joshua. Even Deontay Wilder would be a huge headache for Dillian.

Anthony Joshua riles up Dillian Whyte after threatening to slug him

Whyte’s fights against Dereck Chisora, Joseph Parker, and Oscar Rivas showed that he’s a level below Joshua and Fury in terms of talent.

Promoter Frank Warren said earlier today to BT Sport that he would like to match his fighter Daniel Dubois against Whyte. In a fight between those two, most boxing fans would favor Dubois to win. Dubois would be too strong and too big for Whyte if that fight ever went down.