Dillian Whyte believes Anthony Joshua is rushing back to the ring too quickly and thinks a fight against Deontay Wilder would be a sensible next step. 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 win 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 think it's happening. AJ is probably looking to fight Deontay Wilder now, which makes sense.' He added, 'If AJ fights Wilder, he'll likely sell out the event and knock Wilder out.' Joshua is expected to face Tyson Fury later this year in a highly anticipated all-British heavyweight bout. However, a meeting with Wilder beforehand could jeopardize these plans, and Whyte thinks Joshua should take more time to recover. 'I'm a risky opponent for him, but you have to consider it,' Whyte said.
'The Tyson Fury fight is a big one; let's see how that goes and assess his mental state. They've been through a lot lately, and personally, I think he's returning to the ring too soon.' Whyte suffered a first-round knockout defeat to Moses Itauma in August last year and is yet to confirm his next steps.
He acknowledged that his performance in Saudi Arabia was not representative of his true abilities, saying, 'It wasn't me; sometimes things don't go as planned, and you have to move on.' Despite fighting only three times since 2022, Whyte waved away suggestions 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.'