8 years after their 1st fight, Dillian Whyte is the favorite to face Anthony Joshua for the second time.
English professional boxer of Nigerian descent Anthony Olaseni Joshua is set for a return to the ring soon.
Joshua recently recorded a unanimous decision victory against American professional boxer Jermaine Franklin.
After 12 rounds of boxing, Joshua earned the victory against Franklin via the judges' scorecard at the 02 Arena in London.
Joshua after the fight teased making an all-British showdown against English professional boxer and reigning WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury.
Anthony Joshua is to return soon
Joshua's victory against Franklin came with criticism due to his inability to get a knockout.
Franklin is a low-ranked contender in the division and several fans wanted a statement victory for Joshua after back-to-back defeats against Ukranian professional boxer Oleksandr Usyk.
British sports promoter and chairman of Matchroom Boxing Edward Hearn suggested after the victory against Franklin that Joshua may need one more tune-up fight before facing an elite Fury.
Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte for a second time
Hearn has now come out in a recent statement to state that Joshua is in talks with British professional boxer Dillian Whyte for his next fight.
Returning to face Franklin after a six-month absence, Joshua is set for a quick turnaround.
In an interview with ID Boxing, Hearn explained that negotiations are progressing with Whyte clearly the frontrunner among other interested contenders.
He said, “I think there are a lot of people who think Dillian Whyte would have a great chance in that fight. So I think it’s a big fight. But there are a lot of talks to be had.”
“Would I say he’s a frontrunner? Probably, if we don’t go into a Wilder or a Fury fight.
“We’ll have to see, because Dillian would quite like a fight before then as well.”
Before Joshua became a former two-time unified world heavyweight champion he faced off against Whyte both fighters as upcoming stars in the division at the time.
Joshua produced a knockout win against Whyte in the seventh round to win the British heavyweight title in front of a packed crowd at the O2 Arena, London back in 2015.
Whyte on Joshua
After Joshua defeated Franklin, Whyte set his sights on getting revenge eight years later.
He said, "I want a chance to redeem myself.
"He keeps playing the video of him knocking me out years and years ago. I want revenge, I want revenge."
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Whyte defeated Franklin via unanimous decision after 12 rounds of action back in November 2022 at the OVO Arena Wembley, London, England.
A fight between Joshua and Whyte eight years after is now set for August with negotiations progressing.
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