Via Sam Volz: Eddie Hearn insists that the rematch between Anthony Joshua & Dillian Whyte is AJ’s third big fight in the tournament.
(Image credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Hearn said the only two fights that are most important to Joshua compared to the Whyte rematch are AJ versus Tyson Fury and AJ-Deontay Wilder.
Joshua-Whyte is going to be hugely popular in the UK, but it’s still a bad fight just like Fury versus Derek Chisora.
Another problem when Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) takes on Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) next is that it will only take place in the UK because American boxing fans consider Dillian to be a first-rate boxer. heavy. They won’t be as eager to buy the match on PPV the way UK fans would.
A potential problem with Hearn’s rematch of Joshua vs. Whyte 2 is that AJ may want to take on someone else in a February or March match before taking on Dillian in the summer.
Hearn said that if Joshua were in a warm-up fight, he would find a way for Whyte to fight one of these fighters to keep him busy:
- Filip Hrgović
- Zhang Zhilei
- Otto Wallin
With the way Whyte struggled againt Jermaine Franklin last Saturday night, he could lose to all three of those boxers. Indeed, Whyte is probably incapable of fighting any of those three.
To be fair, Hearn will have to drop below the top 15 to find a heavyweight that Whyte can beat with certainty without the controversy we saw last weekend with a win over Franklin. .
It would be terrible if Whyte fought someone and was given another controversial decision in the UK.
“Why I wanted to do that fight was because it was so big,” Eddie Hearn said ID Boxing about his desire to do a rematch between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. “Two guys from London are at 1-1. They don’t particularly like each other.
“So when you look at Anthony Joshua’s potential opponents, there are only two bigger boxing fights than AJ against Dillian Whyte, which is AJ vs. Tyson Fury and AJ vs. Deontay Wilder.
“Also, it’s the biggest fight out there, so, of course, I want to do it just like I want to do the other two.
“Still can. It will depend on how long he’s out of action,” Hearn said when asked if there’s a chance Joshua will face Whyte next. “If he wants to go in March or if he wants to go in the summer.
“It depends on whether he wants to do it in the stadium or not. We don’t want to do it when it’s freezing cold, like next week. We can still do it next.
“I knew he was a great fighter, but what surprised me was his toughness,” Hearn said of Jermaine Franklin. “He hit a lot of hammers on his body. He’s done quite a few shots, and I think he’s an excellent fighter,” Hearn said.
