Whyte dismisses Talks of Anthony Joshua’s retirement from boxing

Former heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte has defended Anthony Joshua against calls for retirement from boxing following his recent knockout loss to Daniel Dubois.

Whyte insists that Joshua still has plenty to offer in the sport and believes he should continue his boxing career.

The criticism and calls for retirement followed Joshua‘s September defeat, where the 35-year-old was knocked down four times by 27-year-old Dubois in front of a packed Wembley Stadium. The fight ended in the fifth round with Joshua unable to recover from a powerful counter shot, marking his fourth professional loss and leaving his record at 28 wins and four defeats.

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Despite the setback, Whyte is confident that Joshua, a 2012 Olympic gold medallist and two-time world heavyweight champion, has the potential to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. He pointed out that the heavyweight division can be brutally unforgiving, where a single defeat often leads to retirement speculation.

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Joshua and Whyte share a long-standing rivalry, beginning when Whyte defeated Joshua in the amateurs in 2009. Joshua avenged that loss in 2015, knocking Whyte out in the seventh round to claim the British and Commonwealth titles. A third bout between the two was planned in 2023 but was cancelled after Whyte tested positive for a banned substance.

Ahead of his return to the ring against Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh next month, Whyte told Sky Sports that Joshua should not be written off: “I don’t know, it’s hard to say. He’s still got a lot left in the tank and is still a big draw. As you could see in the fight with Dubois, he’s still a big puncher. He had Dubois in trouble until Dubois landed the final blow.”

“AJ is young, strong, still in amazing shape, and has a lot of fight left in him,” Whyte added. “People put too much emphasis on a defeat in heavyweight boxing. That’s why a lot of big fights don’t happen—there’s too much focus on winning and losing instead of appreciating two top fighters going at it, which wasn’t always the case a few years ago.”

Whyte believes that Joshua’s physicality and power still make him a formidable contender in the division, despite the recent loss to Dubois.