Frank Smith denies recent rematch rumours surrounding British star.
In his prime, Anthony Joshua was one of the most consistently destructive heavyweight champions in years. Were it not for Deontay Wilder, he wouldn’t have even had much in the way of competition for that title.
The Watford native went 20-0 with 20 KOs before he first went the distance in his three-belt unification against Joseph Parker. In that run, he had demolished every contender put in front of him and engaged in a hellacious war with Wladimir Klitschko.
That Klitschko fight was one of only two occasions Joshua was properly troubled during his very peak. The other occasion was against Dillian Whyte.
Going into their fight in December of 2015, Joshua was 14-0 (14 KOs), while Whyte was 16-0 (13 KOs). The two had met previously as amateurs, an encounter that saw Whyte get the win over the green Joshua.
While Whyte only had a few more amateur fights after that before turning professional, Joshua would reach the very summit of the unpaid code, winning the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
It was this medal win that meant Joshua turned professional with plenty of fanfare behind him, and it would have been part of the reason that he was so favoured to beat Whyte despite their similar levels of pro experience.
Their fight was for Joshua’s Commonwealth title, Whyte’s WBC international title, and the vacant British title. And like other clashes for the Lord Lonsdale Belt before it, it would turn out to be an absolute cracker.
It really featured everything. There was a near-brawl after the ring was rushed following Joshua landing a punch after the bell, a hairy moment for Joshua where he was seriously rocked by a shot from Whyte, and a fight-ending uppercut that left Whyte draped over the bottom rope and looking like a fish taken out of water.
Ultimately, Joshua’s amateur seasoning is what gave him an advantage heading in, but Whyte’s effective crudeness provided “AJ” with plenty of issues. Following the bout’s conclusion, there was no doubt a feeling amongst some that the two men would see each other again.
Three years later, both of them had only improved since their grudge match. Joshua was 22-0 and held three of the four major heavyweight titles, while Whyte was 25-1 and coming off of a terrific knockout in a rematch war with Derek Chisora.
There were reports that Joshua would be fighting at Wembley Stadium, with Whyte the leading contender to be the opponent. However, complications that Whyte later attributed to a serious lowball offer meant that talks broke down.
Joshua’s eventual opponent was Andy Ruiz Jr., who stopped Joshua at Madison Square Garden in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Almost four years later, the picture was very different. Joshua was 25-3 and beltless, while Whyte was 29-3. Both men were on the slide, but a rematch (or trilogy, if you like) between the pair seemed to make sense.
Well, the bout was made, and it was to occur at London’s O2 Arena on the 12th of August, 2023. Everything was official.
Then Whyte tested positive for a banned substance and was pulled from the card, being replaced by Robert Helenius (who Joshua would knock out).
Though it was later officially proven that Whyte had been the subject of a contaminated supplement, the Joshua fight was still gone, and he was out of action until a 2024 victory over Christian Hammer.
And here is where we stand. Joshua is currently 29-4, with his last ring appearance a win over YouTuber Jake Paul. Whyte is 31-4, with a first-round stoppage loss to Moses Itauma being his most recent action.
In the same month Joshua defeated Paul, he was involved in a serious car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends. Since then, any talks of his next fight have been put on hold.
However, rumours have been circulating over the last few days that Joshua could be making a return this summer, with the Whyte encounter a possibility for his next outing.
And while Joshua is expected to return in the summer, Matchroom Boxing’s Frank Smith has now poured cold water over Whyte being his opponent.
When asked by BoxingScene whether Whyte was a realistic option for Joshua’s next fight, Smith replied, “Not really. I mean, I don’t believe so. Anything can happen in boxing, but I don’t believe so.”
While this doesn’t entirely close the door on another Joshua-Whyte encounter, it does appear that if the two are to meet in the professional ring again, it won’t be in their very next fights.
But whatever both men have left, there are bound to be a decent number of people who will be tuning into another showdown between the pair in the hope that maybe, just maybe, they will produce something close to what they did on that cold London night some ten years ago.
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