Via Charles Brun: Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte are expected to meet in the first half of next year if ‘The Body Snatcher’ wins their next bout on November 26 against Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) and Whyte (28-3, 19 KOs) are both losing and no longer winning as they were a decade ago. You could argue that both guys are on a downward spiral in their careers.
Eddie Hearn believes British boxing fans are still eager to see Joshua and Whyte rematch for a second time despite their recent lousy performances.
It would be a real disaster if Hearn booked Wembley Stadium for the Joshua-Whyte II rematch, and it turned out to be a ghost town inside.
If Joshua wants to stay relevant, there are better options than Whyte. These will be much better options for Joshua to fight in the first half of next year:
- Joe Joyce
- Deontay Wilde
- Zhilei Zhang
- Frank Sanchez
- Felip Hrgovic
- Andy Ruiz Jr
- Arslanbek Makhmudov
Perhaps UK fans are more tolerant of mediocrity than US fans, as this is a fight that won’t go well if both are from the US and keep losing like both.
Whyte has lost two of his last three fights and is on the verge of an unfortunate knockout loss in the sixth round to Tyson Fury. Dillian is currently scheduled to take on little-known Franklin this month in what some fans believe is a gimmick to ensure that he won’t be taken down again.
“When you look at Roy Jones Jr.’s style, he’s a predator prowling the ring, able to climb the balance of his natural abilities, and he can only see things that he and very few others can see, and he relies on those skills,” Gareth A. Davies told talkSPORT Boxing on whether Roy Jones Jr is a good fit for Anthony Joshua’s new coach.
“That’s right,” Davies said when asked if Dillian Whyte would be next for Joshua. “A big stadium fight. It’s not the O2 Arena. Spurs, Arsenal or Wembley. It was a big war. It was a Brit-on-Brit crime when those two met.
“It’s North over South London. It’s its heritage, it’s its blood, and those two things make it iconic to each other,” said Davies.
“Listen, they fought us well the first time. They have grown a lot up to this point; both have, especially Dillian. It was a really, really, really good fight,” Catterall said.
“Anthony Joshua was a big, strong and dangerous man. I know he lost some muscle because you can see it now. If they [Joshua and Jones Jr] can find symbiosis, we can have a new king. Strange things happened.
Adam Catterall said: “I think Roy Jones Jr’s style suits Chris Eubank Jr. “Anthony Joshua’s strong points are his coordination, rushing forward, throwing multiple shots and TKOing people with force.
“Roy Jones Jr is a great coach. I think there are better people that are a better fit for Anthony Joshua who has played against heavyweights in the past that can help him get the best out of him.
“I like Vergil Hunter, and I also like Eddy Reynoso. Don’t bring them here in the comfort of Sheffield and everything. Let’s do something different. Let’s change it up a bit by going to America. Spend some time in California and work with the people out there.
“In those gyms, you have guys from Cuba, lots of other places that will want to knock him out in duels, and that’s going to be the best amount of fighting he’s got,” Catterall said. ‘ Catterall said.
Davies said: “I think the change of scene in the US for Anthony Joshua will ease the pressure on him in many ways. “I think he is controlling very well. I wanted to see a rite of passage for the third phase of his career. It makes or breaks.
“When he started his journey in 2012, we didn’t have 5 of the 6 best heavyweights in the world in the UK in the top 10. Now we have from England. It’s clearly the return of Tyson Fury.
“It was a difficult thing for Anthony because he couldn’t relearn what he had learned. George Foreman said of him that he’s an incredibly talented boxer, but he needs to know who he is and go out and be that person. It’s a destroyer,” Davies said.
Catterall said of Joshua: “What happened for a while was he was trying to be a boxer. “For me, Anthony Joshua is a devastating machine. It’s about finding someone who can bring him back to where he was at the beginning of his career.
“I really think he can come back. He has all the tools in his toolbox to come back for the third time being the heavyweight champion. That would be an unbelievable achievement. He just needs to find the right person.”
