By Geoffrey Ciani: Coming up on August 12th, at the sold-out O2 Arena in London, England, former heavyweight title challenger Dillian Whyte will have a rematch against former two-time unified IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
These two first met all the way back in December 2015, back when they were both promising undefeated up-and-coming heavyweight contenders. Back then, the heavyweight landscape was quite different.
Tyson Fury was the unified WBA/WBO and lineal world heavyweight champion; the IBF belt was vacant, and the WBC heavyweight champion was Deontay Wilder.
Fast forward to today, now Oleksandr Usyk is the unified IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion, and Tyson Fury is the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion, having still never lost that distinction inside the ring.
Entering this fight, Joshua has lost 2 of his last 3, and Whyte has lost 2 of his last 4. But despite their trouble at the top level over their last few fights, the winner of this showdown is still very much a viable contender in the ever-shifting dynamics of the rather lethargic heavyweight landscape.
In his most recent bout last December, Whyte was awarded a 12 round majority decision against undefeated Jermain Franklin. And in Joshua’s most recent fight earlier this year in April, AJ won a comfortable 12 round unanimous decision against the very same Jermaine Franklin.
Most were expecting that Joshua would have faced the winner of the Whyte-Franklin match, which would have resulted in a Joshua-Whyte rematch happening a little earlier. But instead, they will both enter the rematch with a one-fight win streak coming against the same opponent.
So who will win the upcoming heavyweight showdown in the August 12 rematch between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will attempt to answer that very question while also providing a quick preview for the upcoming heavyweight championship contest between Joshua and Whyte. Please watch and enjoy the video for one man’s opinion. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).