By Ricardo Lezama Anthony Joshua, the English professional boxer who is a former unified heavyweight champion of the world is set to fight against Dillian White. Joshua was once considered a sort of phenom and boogeyman of the heavyweight division, but some of the luster peeled off when he was dethroned from his unified status by Andy Ruiz Jr in a 2019 upset of the year. A December 2019 rematch with Ruiz Jr led to a retrieval of his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO titles, with him facing other contenders during the lull of boxing activity in 2020 through 2021.
Anthony Joshua was born in Watford, England, to a Nigerian mother and a British father of Nigerian and Irish descent. He grew up in Nigeria for a few years before returning to the UK. His Nigerian heritage is an important part of his identity, and he has spoken publicly about his pride in his Nigerian roots. He has also visited Nigeria several times, including a trip to Lagos in 2018 to promote his autobiography.
Ultimately, Joshua was able to secure his position as a leading heavyweight after the avenged loss to Ruiz Jr, but two back-to-back losses to the elusive stylings of Oleksander Usyk have led to some souring both in him publicly and in boxing critics.
As for the public, UK crowds still love him, with a showdown between Joshua and Wilder currently being among the most anticipated fights. We should remember that unlike defensively minded fighters, heavyweight boxers are more prone to defeats in vicious fashion. A loss from Joshua after all the brilliant performances he gave prior to his bout with Ruiz Jr. and Usyk seems negligent from boxing audiences.
Whyte vs Joshua Rematch
Dillian Whyte has already faced Anthony Joshua before in 2015. In a thrilling fight at The O2 Arena in London, England, Joshua defeated his opponent, Dillian Whyte, in the seventh round by technical knockout. The fight was for the WBC International, Commonwealth, and vacant British heavyweight titles. Joshua had been the Commonwealth champion since 2014, and the British champion since 2015. With this win, he unified in the often-fragmented heavyweight division.
Joshua vs Wilder? Consequences For Defeat…
If Joshua gets defeated by Dillian Whyte, then the chance that influential Suadi investors will pick up the tab for Wilder vs Joshua are slim to none. Instead, Whyte would have considerable runway for the final phase of his career should he defeat his rival, Joshua. Eddie Hearn has already pronounced that this fight is set to be in front of a sellout crowd at the O2 arena.