Can We Expect a Different Outcome from White v Joshua II?

After his April showdown against fellow heavyweight Jermaine Franklin, former world champion Anthony Joshua is now set to clash in a much-anticipated rematch against one of the UK’s most feared fighters and a personal rival who he has already fought against eight years prior.

In the following years since their December 2015 heavyweight bout, the boxing landscape has changed dramatically as Anthony Joshua has quickly established himself as one of the best heavyweights throughout the past decade and has since claimed numerous esteemed honors against some of the sports’ most illustrious names.

While Dillian Whyte has also been able to enjoy a tremendous in-ring career as one of the most respected heavyweights of his generation, it is still very abundantly clear that the fellow British star fighter has set some clear admirations to best Joshua as he heads into the twilight years of his active career.

The stakes for their upcoming 2023 clash have sent boxing fans into a frenzy as the two stars have now signed on the dot to confirm that their August 12th bout will take place in front of what is expected to be a packed and heavily raucous London crowd within the fabled O2 Arena.

Heading into their imposing contest, both fighters are still ranked within the top ten across numerous heavyweight standings which includes Joshua tipped at number’s two (WBO) and three (WBA, IBF & WBC) for each respective title, whilst Whyte is ranked eighth (IBF) and sixth (WBC) according to the latest rankings at heavyweight, making this a truly unmissable bout for all boxing fans to enjoy.

• The potential outcomes for AJ and Whyte’s rematch:

Boxing fans can now bet online with the latest odds presented on the DraftKings sportsbook, which currently has Joshua penned into the win the bout at -600 against Whyte who is +400 the underdog.

Given that AJ has already proven that he is capable of defeating Whyte (which he did via Technical KO in round seven back in 2015), it comes as no surprise that he is already the bookmakers favorite to once again beat Whyte and return back to heavyweight title contention.

AJ’s performance in his previous fight against Jermaine Franklin was certainly not one of his strongest displays as the heavily underestimated American was able to endure the full twelve rounds against the former world champion which earned Joshua plenty of slack from the boxing scene as he was painted as the clear favorite to claim a decisive win.

Whyte also has a win against Franklin on his extensive in-ring career record as he was also able to claim a points decision victory following their November bout last year, a win that reclaimed some much-needed confidence in the Brit after his title showdown loss to Tyson Fury a few months prior.

The winner of this bout will most assuredly be given another great opportunity to challenge some of the many other top ranking contenders or even earn a title shot depending on whether the current champions in Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury can retain the championships following their upcoming contests against Daniel Dubois and Francis Ngannou (although it remains unclear as to whether Fury’s title belts will be on the line against the former UFC heavyweight champion).

Whatever the outcome may be, it is clear that neither fighter can afford to squander this opportunity given their recent track record of defeats and many even claiming their fighting careers are slowly coming to their conclusion.

Whilst AJ may certainly have enough left in the tank to compete for the championship again no matter the outcome of this contest, it is clear that he and Whyte are in desperate need of staging one last push for the heavyweight crown given the amount of competition they face in the division and the criticism that both stars have garnered recently surrounding their viability as a major contender.

• The years following AJ vs Whyte 1:

After Joshua’s seventh round KO over Whyte back in 2015, the British starlet soon became one of the mainstays faces of boxing as he would later claim title victories over the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin before shockingly losing his belts to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.

AJ would win the decisive rematch and soon housed another clinical victory over Bulgarian fighter Kubrat Pulev before losing again to the current world champion Oleksandr Usyk twice.

His adversary Dillian Whyte has also endured a roller coaster struggle to return back to title contention as he has fought frequently against several star names since his first bout against AJ but has also lost two high-stakes fights against the likes of Alexander Povetkin and his dramatic KO defeat to Tyson Fury a year ago.

As this major contest continues to draw ever closer between two of British boxing’s most respected star names, the hype surrounding the inevitable clash between Joshua and Whyte is simply palpable and is sure to result in a tremendous bout that is sure to shape the heavyweight division for the foreseeable future.