Dillian Whyte wants Anthony Joshua fight in September

By Boxing News - 06/10/2015 - Comments

whyte888By Scott Gilfoid: Dillian Whyte (14-0, 11 KOs) is ready to defeat heavyweight contender/prospect Anthony Joshua (13-0, 13 kOs) for the second time, and he’s just waiting to see if Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn will let the fight take place. If so, the hard hitting 27-year-old Whyte wants to get Joshua in the ring in September.

Unlike the 13 easy options that Hearn has put in the ring with Joshua since he turned pro in 2013, Whyte comes to fight and will be looking to show Joshua no respect in the ring. Whyte knows how to beat Joshua. Whyte’s strategy is simple.

Stay off the ropes and come straight at the hulking 248lb heavyweight to try and take his head off with every shot. We saw in the past in the Joshua-Whyte fight, and in Joshua’s fights in the Olympics against Roberto Cammarelle and Erislandy Savon that Joshua struggles when his opponents come at him and throw a lot of heavy head shots.

Joshua needs his opponents to not throw punches for him to do well because he likes to setup his shots. But Joshua is at his best when his opponents retreat to the ropes and become punching bags for him, as we saw recently with Joshua’s opponent Kevin Johnson backing up to the ropes and just covering up like a sparring partner instead of someone trying to win the fight.

“He knows I’ve got something in both hands that can put him down,” Whyte said to Skysports.com. “He knows that when he fights me, I’m not coming to lose and just pick up a pay cheque. A lot of people say he’s the next Lennox Lewis but I think he’ll be lucky if he’s as good as Frank Bruno.”

If Whyte beats Joshua again with pressure and hard punches, then the blueprint will be there for other heavyweights to beat Joshua and won’t be seen in the same light. Whyte is likely to employ the same tactic against Joshua in the rematch as he did in their first fight. The faster, more powerful Whyte will attack Joshua with combinations to the head and turn the fight into a nonstop punching brawl. Joshua can either stand his ground and take a lot of heavy shots, or flee from the battle field and look to waste valuable energy moving in circles.

Joshua does not move well latterly though. He’s mainly a guy that is good at coming straight ahead. If Whyte comes at Joshua, it’s going to put the hulking 6’6” fighter in a position where he’ll have to fight until the bitter end. If Joshua’s normal fighting style doesn’t work for him, then there won’t be a game plan because Whyte will obliterate him with heavy shots, and cause him to wilt from the fast pace of the fight.

Not enough has been said about Joshua’s stamina. He’s been wiping guys out in 3 rounds or less since he turned pro. At the same time, Joshua has been adding more and more bodybuilding bulk to his frame, and he now looks more like Mike “Hercules” Weaver and Frank Bruno than a fighter who is going somewhere in boxing. Those heavy muscles will likely weigh him down like an anchor against a talented heavyweight like Whyte, who will force Joshua to fight at a lightning fast pace. It’s not likely that Joshua is going to be able to fight hard for three minutes of every round with all the muscles he’s put on in the last two years. When you put that kind of muscle on, it causes your heart to have to work very, very hard to keep you moving around the ring.

“September is good for me. I’ve been off for a while because I broke my hand in the middle of April,” Whyte said. “I’m looking to fight a couple of times in July and if we can get the deal tied up, then why not?”



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