Anthony Joshua believes that fighting Dillian Whyte would have more "swag" than a super-fight against world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The perception in British boxing is that there is no bigger fight than Fury versus Joshua, which has come within inches of being made twice over the past few years. But Joshua reckons that there is more intrigue in the all-London clash between he and Whyte, who have fought as amateurs and professionals.
Whyte handed Joshua his first loss after starting to box back when the pair were up-and-coming as amateurs in February 2009. But the pair met again in the paid ranks over half-a-decade later and Joshua was able to avenge that result with a thundering knockout at the O2 Arena in London for the commonwealth title.
And Joshua believes that the more interesting fight at heavyweight of the two potential clashes is a trilogy of sorts with Whyte, telling GQ in a YouTube video: "It has to be Dillian Whyte. South London, North London. Fury's good, but he's a Manchester boy. I think Dillian has more swag in general, but he's come up short a few times."
In another part of the video, a picture is shared of Whyte and Joshua running into each other in London, with fans asking what was said between the pair. Joshua claims that Whyte said, "Bruv, can you see I'm in Black Air Forces, bruv. I'm not messing about with you, you know, bruv. I want that fight."
However, he then tells the true story, adding: "No, I'm joking. Dillian's cool, Dillian's only messing about. This was just after his fight with Fury, he was just explaining to me what he had been through. From that picture, it looks like he's putting me under pressure, but I'm under no pressure there. I'll still smoke Dillian anyway."
What fight would you prefer to see Anthony Joshua take: Dillian Whyte or Tyson Fury? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Fury has been frustrated in his efforts to fight Joshua in the past, losing out in 2021 due to a contractual issue forcing him to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy and then in December this year over conflicting sponsorship deals. The British duo's potential fight is one of the the most sought-after in the sport, and Fury has demanded that his rival "steps up to the plate".
"Why isn't this lad stepping up to the plate and taking on the challenge?" Fury said of Joshua in a recent interview with IFL TV. "What does he want to fight Dillian Whyte for? He's already beat Dillian Whyte. Fight me, come to the party, eat teacakes in your underpants another day. It's only a fight and you've already lost before!
"It should be me who's like, 'Oh I don't want to fight these people, I don't want to fight Joe Joyce, I don't want to fight [Oleksandr] Usyk, I don't want to fight Joshua'. I'm the undefeated man for 14 years undefeated, 34-0. These guys have all been beat before and I want to fight them, they don't want to fight me, it's an absolute joke."
