Dillian Whyte Advises Anthony Joshua Against Rushing Back to the Ring, Suggests Deontay Wilder as a Suitable Opponent

Dillian Whyte believes Anthony Joshua is making a premature return to boxing and thinks a matchup against Deontay Wilder would be a sensible choice for his next fight. Joshua's last bout was in December, and he has since been involved in a fatal car accident in Nigeria, resulting in the loss of two close friends. Following his victory over Derek Chisora, Wilder expressed interest in facing Joshua, while Whyte downplayed the possibility of a rematch against his old rival. Whyte stated, 'I'd love it, but no one has 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 showdown. However, a potential meeting with Wilder beforehand could jeopardize these plans, leading Whyte to suggest that Joshua should take more time to recover. Whyte, who was stopped by Joshua in their 2015 fight, said, 'I'm a risky opponent for him too, but you have to consider his current state of mind. The Tyson Fury fight is a significant one; let's see how he performs and assess his mentality.' Whyte, who suffered a first-round knockout defeat to Moses Itauma in August last year, has yet to confirm his next steps. He attributed his poor performance in Saudi Arabia to factors beyond his control, saying, 'It wasn't me; sometimes these things happen, and you just have to move on.' Despite fighting only three times since 2022, Whyte dismissed the idea of retirement, stating, 'I know who I am, and I know I can still compete at the top level. I just need to learn from my mistakes and ensure they don't happen again.'