Dillian Whyte Says Winner Of He And Jermain Franklin Was “Promised” Joshua Fight
Dillian Whyte was led to believe the winner of the fight he had with Jermain Franklin back in November would be rewarded with a fight with Anthony Joshua; a return fight in Whyte’s case. Whyte won as we know, via 12 round majority decision, yet now, as we also know, it will be Franklin squaring off with AJ, this on April 1 in London. And Whyte is fuming as a result.
Speaking with Sun Sport, Whyte said that, the way things have turned out, he would have been “better off losing the Franklin fight and getting the AJ fight!”
35 year old Whyte, 28-3(18) and one win removed from his stoppage loss to Tyson Fury, says he is frustrated at the way he is unable to secure big fights.
“I just want to make some fights but it’s f****g frustrating,” Whyte said. “Everyone was told, all the boxing fans, the winner of me and Franklin fights AJ, so this is a f****d up thing. I would have been better off losing the Franklin fight and getting the AJ fight! I know DAZN need content for their subscribers but why choose to fight a low-key American coming off a loss instead of having massive British tear-up? I’m not surprised that they have chosen April 1st for this battle of the fools. I faced Franklin, the most dangerous and undefeated version of him, and beat him. Eddie [Hearn] was promising him many millions to fight AJ if he beat me.”
It is tough to disagree with what Whyte has had to say. Hearn was telling everyone that Franklin would get the Joshua fight if he won the Whyte fight, so why didn’t Whyte, the winner of the November fight, get the Joshua gig? It would have been, as Whyte said, a “massive British tear-up.”
Maybe, as has been suggested, Joshua’s confidence levels are not there right now, and he needs a good confidence boost of a win before being ready, willing and able to take a risky fight. And Whyte, whatever you may think of him, IS a risky proposition for any heavyweight. Maybe the plan is for AJ to look good and feel good in the Franklin fight and THEN fight Whyte in the all-British tear-up Whyte felt he should be engaging in next. So, with AJ fighting Franklin next, who, and when, might Whyte fight as he waits for that return go with Joshua?
We will have to wait and see, but Whyte, who has been calling for a return fight with Joshua since they rumbled back in 2015, is certain AJ is “being protected.” Maybe you agree with Whyte?