Anthony Joshua unlikely to rematch opponent he brutally KO’d as comeback looms

Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith has played down rumours of Anthony Joshua rematching Dillian Whyte on his return.

Joshua returned to Oleksandr Usyk’s training camp this week, three months after a tragic motor accident in Nigeria left him hospitalised and killed his two best friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

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‘AJ’ had knocked out Jake Paul in Miami just 10 days before the accident, which left his boxing future in doubt.

The 36-year-old was supposed to use the Paul fight to brush off some cobwebs and gain exposure in the American market before making a full comeback this spring.

Joshua has since made a full return to training and Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn said he will likely return at the end of the summer, if the Briton is not ready sooner.

This has prompted members of the boxing fraternity to debate over who ‘AJ’ could potentially face on his comeback.

Dillian Whyte, who Joshua left unconscious at the O2 Arena in 2015, is one name that has been mentioned frequently.

Smith provides update on Joshua’s future

Speaking to BoxingScene, Smith revealed that although ‘anything can happen’ in modern boxing’s current landscape, Whyte is unlikely to be the man who welcomes Joshua back to the ring.

“Not really. I don’t believe [that Whyte could be next],” Smith said.

“Anything can happen in boxing, but I don’t believe so… the key is getting [Joshua] into a position to actually know when he’s ready, rather than picking a date before we know that.

“That’s the focus right now… it would be great to get him back out in the summer, but he’s back in full training now, so that’ll be how he gets himself back in there.

“He’s obviously been ticking over, but it’s very different to what he’s been doing.

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“He’s got to be right, he’s got to be prepared and ready, so hopefully we get some news soon on that.”

Joshua viciously stopped Whyte before going on to claim the world IBF title by doing the same to Charles Martin.

‘AJ’ was scheduled to rematch Whyte in August 2023, but the latter was replaced by Robert Helenius on short notice after he returned adverse analytical findings from an anti-doping test.

Joshua finished Helenius in round seven and went on to claim wins against Otto Wallin and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

He then shockingly came up short against Dubois before making his latest return against Paul.

talkSPORT’s Gareth A Davies and Ade Oladipo both believe Whyte is a suitable comeback opponent for Joshua.

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“I like the sound of Dillian Whyte,” Davies said on talkSPORT Boxing.

“It’s something that works. It gets [Joshua] back into the rhythm.”

Davies also revealed Joshua was scheduled to meet kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven this month before a deal with Paul was made.

Verhoeven is now scheduled to fight Usyk for the WBC strap on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Boxing schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s  boxing schedule.