Dillian Whyte believes that Deontay Wilder would be a suitable opponent for Anthony Joshua's next fight, but thinks Joshua is making a hasty return to boxing. Joshua's last bout was in December, followed by a car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
Wilder expressed interest in fighting Joshua after his win over Derek Chisora, but Whyte downplayed the possibility of a rematch between him and Joshua. Whyte stated, 'I'd love it, but no one's mentioned it to me, and I don't know about it.
AJ is probably looking to fight Deontay Wilder now; it's the fight that makes sense.' He also predicted that Joshua would defeat Wilder, saying, 'If AJ fights Wilder, he will sell and he will knock Wilder out, I think.' Joshua is expected to face Tyson Fury later this year in a highly anticipated all-British heavyweight fight. However, a meeting with Wilder beforehand could jeopardize those plans. Whyte thinks Joshua should give himself more time to recover, saying, 'I think he's getting back in the ring too soon.
I personally think he needs some more time to digest and break down what's happening.' Whyte recently suffered a first-round knockout defeat to Moses Itauma in August last year and has not yet confirmed his next steps. He acknowledged that his performance in Saudi Arabia was not representative of his true abilities, saying, 'One million per cent, I'm not going to go into it because I don't want to take away from the kid's win, he's done his thing, he won.
It wasn't me.' Whyte has only fought three times since 2022 and dismissed suggestions that he is considering retirement, stating, 'No, no, no, because I knew what I am, I know who I am. I know how capable I am. I know I can still operate at the top level.'