Dillian Whyte is adamant that Anthony Joshua is not keen on fighting him in order to protect a potential mega-fight against Deontay Wilder.
Reports indicate that talks are ongoing for a Joshua-Wilder fight as part of a four-man heavyweight tournament in Saudi Arabia.
And on top of that, Joshua has been very vocal on social media about wanting Wilder next.
While that may have been the case, Whyte has other plans. The pair do have a long history, having faced each other in 2015.
Joshua secured a seventh-round knockout win to continue his impressive rise to eventually becoming a unified champion.
But the rivalry reignited following Joshua’s back-to-back losses against Oleksandr Usyk.
As part of that rebuilding process, Joshua faced Jermaine Franklin with suggestions that the Brit would face Whyte if he won.
Although he did so via a unanimous decision, the fight failed to materialize as Wilder’s name began to gain traction. And yet, Whyte made it clear that he had unfinished business.
“He doesn’t want to risk his retirement payday in Saudi Arabia against Wilder — who is also past his sell-by date.
“Joshua isn’t the golden goose anymore, the sport doesn’t revolve around him. Him and his people don’t seem to realize it but duck me again and lose to Wilder in December and he and his team — that know so much but do so little — are finished,” Whyte said.
Nevertheless, this is understandable given Joshua’s first round of negotiations with Wilder. Talks over an undisputed fight with the ‘Bronze Bomber’ broke down as Joshua faced Andy Ruiz Jr.
And defeat against Ruiz Jr. ended hopes of a Wilder fight, which is something Joshua will want to avoid this time around.