Eddie Hearn has declared that Dillian Whyte is the frontrunner to face Anthony Joshua next. The Body Snatcher had been promised a shot at Joshua after beating Jermaine Franklin back in November.
However, the latter was given the opportunity instead. Whyte expressed his frustrations over the U-turn but is now back in the running for a rematch with his domestic rival following AJ’s points win over Franklin.
Joshua is expected to return to the ring in June with Hearn disclosing that Whyte is the contingency plan if a fight with Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder can’t be made for the summer. The Matchroom Boxing promoter is keen on making the big fights as quickly as possible but is aware that they are more likely to happen at the back end of the year – which only benefits Joshua as he adjusts to life under new trainer Derrick James.
“I feel another fight with Derrick James, reinforce that confidence, believe in what he’s doing, I think he’ll be in better shape in December mentally, emotionally and physically for Fury and the Wilders, but it’s going to be very tempting in the meantime if those fights can get made not to jump straight in,” he told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour.
“The general feeling is we need another fight, a step up from Franklin, but in order to gel and continue improving with [trainer] Derrick James, we need another fight in the summer of that nature.
“We also know that the Tyson Fury fight, whether that’s even possible, may be a summer fight and that might be the only chance, so it’s a difficult decision, because if we’re doing it with a view to keep improving and for longevity and to get him to his best then we should have another fight.”
In terms of potential options, Hearn suggested: “Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin, Joe Joyce is another big fight, it’s a tough fight, so who knows.”
But Hearn has since affirmed that Whyte is the most likely fight to happen next. “I think there are a lot of people who think Dillian Whyte would have a great chance in that fight,” he told ID Boxing. “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.”