Dillian Whyte has hit out at the news that Anthony Joshua is expected to fight Jermaine Franklin this spring, calling the match-up ‘the usual bull***t’.
Whyte secured a controversial points win over Franklin in November, with promoter Eddie Hearn saying at the time that the winner was likely next for Joshua.
Despite Franklin’s loss, however, the American is due to box Joshua in April, with Hearn suggesting that an announcement will be made this month.
“I am alright but facing the usual bull***t,” Whyte told The Sun on Thursday (2 February). “I just want to make some fights, but it’s f*****g frustrating.
“Everyone was told – all the boxing fans – that the winner of me and Franklin fights ‘AJ’, so this is a f****d-up thing. I would have been better off losing the Franklin fight and getting the ‘AJ’ fight!
“I know [streaming service] DAZN need content for their subscribers, but why choose to fight a low-profile American coming off a loss instead of having a massive British tear-up?
“It’s no surprise to me that they have chosen 1 April for this battle of the fools,” Whyte added, referencing the expected date on which Joshua vs Franklin is expected to take place at London’s O2 Arena.
Whyte, 34, was a majority-decision winner against Franklin, 29, in the English capital. While some observers felt that Franklin had done enough to win the back-and-forth heavyweight bout, Whyte remains confident that the result was the correct one.
“I faced Franklin – the most dangerous and undefeated version of him – and beat him,” Whyte said. “Eddie was promising him many millions to fight AJ if he beat me.
“It’s protecting AJ, because they all know if he loses again he will probably jack it in.”
Joshua, 33, last fought in August and suffered a decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk, just as he did 11 months prior.
The Briton’s most recent defeat by Usyk saw him fail to regain the heavyweight titles that he dropped to the unbeaten Ukrainian in their first clash.
Despite Whyte’s frustration at the prospect of Joshua vs Franklin, Hearn has suggested that the “Bodysnatcher” could box his compatriot this summer – if AJ overcomes Franklin.
Whyte beat Joshua during the pair’s amateur careers but was knocked out by the former two-time world champion in a professional contest in 2015.
