On August 12 at London’s O2 Arena, heavyweight Anthony Joshua will square off against fellow Briton Dillian Whyte in a repeat of their 2015 fight.
In a heated British championship bout that also took place at the O2 eight years ago, Joshua, 33, knocked out Whyte in the seventh round to exact revenge for a defeat to his opponent in the amateurs.
Olympic gold medalist Joshua afterwards went on to win two world championships. Whyte, 36, lost to Tyson Fury in his only attempt to win the world title in 2022.
Joshua declared, “I’ve been clear that I intend to be active this year. The fight is scheduled for August 12th, and I’ll be prepared.”
Whyte remarked, “I’m looking forward to the fight and coming back to the London O2 on August 12. This is going to be a deciding match for sure.”
The Joshua-Whyte rivalry has been rekindled
Joshua’s victory against American Jermaine Franklin in April was his first in more than two years after he had lost back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk, the WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO world champions.
The Londoner, who has a 25–3 win–losing record, became a pro after taking home the gold at London 2012. In his 16th fight, he earned a world championship, but in a shocking stoppage loss against Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden in June 2019, he suffered his first professional defeat. Six months later, in the rematch, he won.
A deal is allegedly close to being reached for Joshua to fight former world champion Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia in December. The fight has been agreed upon following weeks of discussions and Whyte’s acceptance of Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn’s desire to eliminate a rematch provision.
