Anthony Joshua made it clear that he had no time for Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury during his pre-fight presser with Dillian Whyte.
Joshua will face the ‘body snatcher’ on August 12th, 2023, at the O2, London, with many expecting the Brit to come out victorious.
A win for Joshua would automatically turn the attention towards a possible fight with Wilder.
Although that may be the case, there is a danger that Joshua could overlook Whyte. And that is something that he ruled out immediately by shutting down talks over a Wilder fight.
“Forget Wilder and them lot. Them lot have been doing my head in for so many years. You lot have seen now the shenanigans in the heavyweight division.
“Even with Fury saying he was training for Oleksandr Usyk, then SugarHill Steward (his trainer) came out and said, ‘No, I’m not training him. What do you mean I’m training him for a heavyweight championship fight?’
“You can see all the lies that’s been going on, so I don’t really waste my time with time-wasters,” Joshua
Both Wilder and Fury have yet to announce their next opponents. Wilder’s talks with Andy Ruiz Jr. appear dead in the water, as the duo butt heads over the purse split.
The ‘Bronze Bomber’ refuses to shift on his 70-30 offer, while Ruiz’s team is demanding a 50-50 purse.
Meanwhile, Fury is expected to fight Francis Ngannou but an official announcement has not been made.
Therefore, it is vital that Joshua comes out on top with a win over Whyte and justifies his decision to work with Derrick James.
And based on the shift in mentality, Joshua’s frame of mind appears focused on the job at hand.