Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could both retire after they finally fight this year, says heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte | Debate News
Dillian Whyte believes Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could both retire after their long-awaited fight this year.
Fury and Joshua are expected to finally share the ring in November after both are successful in their preparation fights, with America now the most likely destination for the British heavyweight.
But the Brit’s rivals appear to be in the closing stages of their games as Joshua went up twice before stopping Kristian Prenga in the second round, while Fury picked Mariusz Wach, 46, as his opponent before stopping in the seventh round.
Whyte, who has fought both Fury and Joshua, said Sky Sports: “It’s hard to say [who will win] because boxing fans will choose Tyson Fury and die-hard boxing fans will choose Anthony Joshua because AJ is strong and Tyson Fury’s feet are down, so I will say Fury on points. [or] AJ by suspension.
“Both men might hang up the gloves after the fight. When it’s over they’ll say, listen, we’ve done everything, Tyson won all the belts, AJ was the unified world champion, they’ll say, yeah, that’s right.”
“I think they may both hang up the gloves after that and it will be a sad day for boxing.”
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Highlights from Anthony Joshua’s comeback fight against Kristian Prenga. Courtesy of DAZN.
Joshua returned to the ring for the first time since he was injured in a car accident in December that claimed the lives of his two best friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
After Joshua was knocked down in the first 20 minutes, Whyte suggested that this was a sign that his old rival was not yet in the right frame of mind to continue his career.
“Prenga may not have been the best boxer in the world, but he could punch,” said Whyte.
“In boxing, anyone can be knocked down. I’ve been knocked down many times in different fights.
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A heartbroken Anthony Joshua is dedicating his victory over Kristian Prenga to his friends who died in a car crash. Courtesy of DAZN.
“It’s hard to say if his resistance to boxing is over, you know, I think it makes more sense than resistance to boxing.
“I think he’s in a place mentally that he’s been through.
“Listen, AJ is not my friend, we don’t love each other, so you know, I’m telling the truth.
“I think it was a bit of a shock and not being mentally well the kind of fight that Prenga gave him in the early rounds.”
What’s next for Whyte?
Dillian Whyte is still open to a trilogy fight against Derek Chisora
After losing Moses Itauma last summer, Whyte is back in training and hopes to hone his skills in the return game before targeting the big name.
“I would like to fight Derek Chisora, Andy Ruiz, Miller,” he said. “These are guys from my time that I didn’t fight with and I would like to fight with them.
“I understand that I will lose in the first round.
“I’m not fooled – I understand that I need a fight to get back into contention, so anyone really.
“I just want to get revenge and just get back in the ring, shake off the ring rust and just get ready and fight whoever is going to fight.”
