Joshua vs. Whyte Take Two

Anthony Joshua may be able to take advantage of a few inactive contenders above him to earn another shot at the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. But first, the British boxer must figure out a way to replicate another victory from earlier in his career.

Joshua will take on No. 5 contender Dillan Whyte, a Jamaican-born boxer who moved to Britain at the age of 12, on Aug. 12 at the O2 Arena in London. When it comes to the betting line, Joshua enters as a sizable -625 favorite, but anyone who follows boxing knows that the heavyweight division can see one punch change everything.

Whyte and Joshua have a colorful history. In addition to their fight as professionals, they met as amateurs, with Whyte collecting a victory. Here’s a preview of Joshua v Whyte, as each man hopes to earn a shot at the champion.

Joshua v Whyte Nearly Rematched Once Before

Joshua won the first fight with Whyte by technical knockout in the seventh round in 2015. He stopped Whyte with a vicious uppercut. In December 2018, the drama between Joshua and Whyte flared up again. After beating Alexander Povetkin to retain his WBA (Super), IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in 2018, Whyte was announced as the challenger for Joshua, who was 22-0 at the time.

Whyte, however, would be offended by Joshua’s initial offer of $3 million for the fight. The number was later increased to $5 million before being dropped back to $3.5 million. Joshua v Whyte would end up getting scraped. Things would go in another direction for Joshua and he was scheduled to take on undefeated American heavyweight Jarrell Miller in his debut fight in the United States.

Miller failed a pre-fight drug test and had to pull out of the fight. Instead, Joshua would take on lightly-regarded American heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 at Madison Square Garden. Joshua was hoping for a successful debut in front of American audiences before moving on to bigger challenges.

Ruiz Shocks the World

Ruiz took the air out of Joshua’s momentum, beating him by technical knockout in the seventh round. It was the first loss of Joshua’s career. While the fight was close on all three judges’ scorecards, it was still thought Joshua would eventually wear the American down.

While Joshua won the rematch a year later by decision, things haven’t gone as smoothly for Joshua since that fight. Joshua is 2-2 since his loss to Ruiz, including a pair of decision losses to Ukrainian fighter Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua now has a 25-3 record in his career, finishing 22 of his 25 fights via knockout. He is only 3-2 in fights that go to the scorecards.

Whyte Never Really Reached the Summit

Following the loss to Joshua, Whyte would run off 11 straight victories and claim a number of minor heavyweight belts. With his record sitting at 27-1, Whyte would get a chance to grab the WBC interim heavyweight crown when he fought Povetkin in August 2020. Whyte would end up getting knocked out in the fifth round.

Whyte would end up having a rematch with Povetkin the next year and would claim the interim title by knocking him out in the fourth round. That fight would earn him a shot against Tyson Fury. Fury’s team had been trying to get into a fight with Usyk, but Joshua refused to step aside to allow the two to fight.

Fury would take Whyte to task instead, securing a sixth-round KO to win the title. Whyte bounced back with a win over Jermaine Franklin. Whyte is now 29-3 in his career and has won 19 of his bouts via KO.

Joshua v Whyte – Another Tough Contract Negotiation

When Joshua and Whyte started discussions about a rematch there were some minor snags in putting the fight together. Joshua had attempted to negotiate a rematch clause that would only kick in if he lost the fight. He is looking ahead to a matchup with former title challenger Deontay Wilder next year and didn’t want to be tied down with a commitment to fight Whyte again.

Joshua was rumored to be a fighter who could potentially do a crossover bout against an established MMA star. However, Joshua has been steadfast in his desire to fight other top boxers and to continue to pursue recapturing heavyweight gold.

The Heavyweight Title Picture is Cloudy

Fury has been one of the more bizarre champions in recent memory. He shocked the world by beating Wladimir Klitschko, then was suspended for several years for drug use. Then he returned and fought a classic trilogy against Wilder before retiring again. A proposed fight with Usyk fell through again.

Now Fury is planning to box former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. What that means for Joshua v Whyte is there may be a path to challenging Usyk for the winner. However, both men need to start impressing observers to get another shot at heavyweight glory.

The heavyweight championship title picture is still very political. While each organization will come up with mandatory challengers, there is a hard time with promoters negotiating with each other to get high-profile fights together. Whyte and Joshua boxing feels like a stepping stone for both men.

British Bragging Rights Again at Stake

With Fury, Whyte, and Joshua having extended stays in the heavyweight title picture, it has been a good time for British boxing. The heavyweight division is the one that typically draws most of the eyeballs for boxing, and having three top contenders for years has been exciting for fans of the sport. Joshua and Whyte will be looking to establish their positions when they meet in London in August.

Whyte will again be trying to spring an upset, while Joshua will be looking to remind Whyte who the better fighter is. The drama that plays out in the O2 Arena should be entertaining.