‘Being a top 15 is one punch away from being No 1.’: Joshua says Whyte is both talented and dangerous

Anthony Joshua says Dillian Whyte is still one of the top heavyweights in the world which makes him inherently dangerous.

After the formal announcement that Anthony Joshua will be making his next appearance in an Aug. 12 rematch against Dillian Whyte, Joshua tells Sky Sports that Whyte is a very serious opponent despite whatever groans might be coming from fans. Joshua stopped Whyte in a 2015 meeting, and says Whyte remains one of the world’s top operators in the heavyweight division.

“Dillian fights with pride. He’s fighting for his pride. And I think that’s got him really far,” Joshua said. “And the thing is he is a tough competitor. People try and separate the gulf in class so far that they forget that these guys still have a lot of talent and are dangerous.”

Joshua continued by saying that by fighting Whyte, who he says is a top 10-15 heavyweight in the world, he’s still proving his willingness to take on elite competition and because of that, he must take his preparations seriously.

“You’ve got to be serious because even in the top 15 and heavyweight boxing, it takes one punch. So being a top 15 is one punch away from being No 1.”

Should Joshua successfully handle business against Whyte for a second time, there’s hope that there will be a much more attractive clash made at the end of the year against Deontay Wilder. But first things first...