‘I’m Definitely Up For Fighting’- Anthony Joshua Reassures

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will do battle for the second time in the professional ranks on August 12 at the 02 Arena, London, England. The eagerly awaited rematch between these two arch-nemesis saw tickets for the event sell out in just over two hours, when released today (July 10).

There is no love lost between these two since they clashed in the amateurs where Whyte came out on top. Joshua gained revenge with an incident-packed seventh-round TKO victory in 2015. Both fighters squared off today at the opening press conference for the August 12 fight at London’s Hilton Syon Park Hotel.

At today’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say:

Coming soon 🍿 @anthonyjoshua @DillianWhyte #JoshuaWhyte2 pic.twitter.com/mgzrZDS0QA

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 10, 2023

Anthony Joshua

Joshua who flew in from his training camp in Texas was full of fight talk ahead of the August 12 showdown. “I’m definitely up for fighting.” 

“There are a lot of names in the division. But at the same time look at what this fight does. I’m a fighter but I also understand business. And this fight does good business.”

AJ seems to be going back to basics after the back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk. “Boxing is about fundamentals. There are two ways to skin a cat. You can knock someone out or outclass them. Everything I say today is irrelevant until that bell goes. I’m here to win.”

“It’s a massive night for my career. Victorious 100%. That’s my goal and that’s what I’m looking forward to.” 

Hear Dan Rafael and T.J. Rives discuss the Joshua-Whyte rematch on the “Fight Freaks Unite Recap” podcast by clicking play below:

Dillian Whyte

Dillian Whyte was full of confidence at the opening press conference.

“We’re still chasing improvement and we have new teams around us. We’re more experienced and have more skills. We’ve still got a lot of hunger and I can’t wait to get in there.”

“I just prepare for the best version of him [Joshua]. I don’t care what people are saying about him. I’m still coming to fight and I haven’t got anything to lose.”

I’m calm now – but the more you f*** about, we’ll soon find out. “Is this a must-win fight? Every fight I’ve had with Matchroom has been like that. But I don’t worry about that. Let’s see what happens.”

“I have the power to take anyone out. If the knockout comes then great. But I’m focusing on the victory. I’ll listen to what Buddy McGirt says.”

Eddie Hearn

“This is a fight I still can’t believe is happening. This is a massive fight for the heavyweight division. Little more than seven years ago, these two came head-to-head.”

“Victory in the amateurs and victory in the pros. Some are calling this ‘The Decider’. I call it a must-win for two of Britain’s biggest heavyweights.”

“It’s no surprise this fight is sold-out and we are incredibly excited to be staging this event. There’s been some speculation that the heavyweight division has been sleeping in 2023 but we have certainly lit a fire underneath that with this fight.”

“Domestic fights always bring amazing energy, especially when you have two household names at an elite level.”

“Their rivalry has existed since the amateurs and now on August 12 there needs to be an overall winner.”

The heavyweight summer face-off will be shown live on DAZN and DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.