Anthony Joshua thinks Dillian Whyte still has "the dog in him" ahead of rematch

01 August 2023 , 13:15

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Anthony Joshua thinks Dillian Whyte still has "the dog in him" ahead of rematch

Anthony Joshua doesn't think Dillian Whyte has greatly improved since their first fight but insisted his domestic rival still has "the dog in him".

Joshua and Whyte meet again on August 12 at The O2 arena, the same venue that hosted their first meeting eight years ago. Joshua looks to set up an illustrious fight with Deontay Wilder as a win against Whyte would see the pair meet at the end of the year in Saudi Arabia.

Whyte hasn't fought since winning a controversial decision against Jermaine Franklin last November, with Joshua also picking up his first win in over two years by beating Franklin in April. 'AJ' believes he will be in for a tough night against Whyte and gave credit to his familiar foe's grit.

Who wins on August 12 - Anthony Joshua or Dillian Whyte? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below

"One thing that he has got is the fight and in America they call it the dog. He’s got the dog in him," Joshua said. "He doesn’t lose what his foundation is. He’s one of those old school fighters. I just think that’s what he’ll always be. Do I think he’s improved? It depends who he’s fighting, styles make fights.

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"When he’s fought a bigger guy he’s struggled a bit. When he’s fought short, quicker guys, he gave them problems. What Dillian lacks in certain areas, he makes up for in others. I don’t think he’s improved massively but he’s maintained his standard and it’s paid off. He’s done well with that, really well. It’s taken him a long way.

The rematch marks Joshua's second fight under coach Derrick James as he paired up with the trainer after his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last August. Whyte is working with Buddy McGirt for the fight and Joshua questioned his rival for the amount of trainers he's worked with over the years.

Anthony Joshua rematches Dillian Whyte on August 12

"Look how many times he’s moved trainers," Joshua added. "He’s moved trainers so many times. Maybe he’s not developing at the rate he needs to, or people aren’t teaching him the things he needs to learn and it’s not good enough.

"He probably knows it himself. That’s probably why he’s moved trainers so much. I was thinking about this the other day. He was with [Chris] Okoh, [Mark] Tibbs, Xavier [Miller], Buddy McGirt, Johnathon Banks."

Joshua has also been through his fair share of trainers in the last few years, as he ditched longtime trainer Robert McCracken after his first loss to Usyk. 'AJ' recruited Robert Garcia as his coach for the rematch, but their relationship lasted just one fight as he is now with James.

Harry Davies