Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte revisited: When unbeaten British rivals went to war

As Whyte prepares to once again enter the ring as the underdog in an all-British clash, facing Moses Itauma, James Hicken reflects on Whyte’s most famous rivalry

Dillian Whyte will be hoping to prove he still has what it takes at the world level this Saturday when he steps into the ring Moses Itauma.

This fight, which will be shown live on DAZN, is the last chance saloon for Whyte, who has been off the heavyweight radar since he lost to Tyson Fury in 2022 – only registering three low-level wins since.

Taking on Itauma and putting on a show should allow Whyte to set up one final run at a big-money/world title fight at 37.

The last time Whyte had to face a rising star as bright as Itauma was in 2015, when he came up against the Olympic gold medallist and national hero Anthony Joshua.

It came at a very different time in Whyte’s career, but held many of the same characteristics. It was a domestic dust-up to see who would take the next step towards world honours, and Whyte was a big underdog.

The build-up

The origin of the rivalry between these two British heavyweight veterans does not begin in 2015, but extends back as far as 2009.

Whyte had crossed over from professional kickboxing and was about to take on his first fight as an amateur boxer. Little did he know the man standing across from him in the blue headguard would become one of his most famous rivals – Anthony Joshua.

The fight was a slugfest and Joshua got dropped in the second round on his way to a points decision defeat to Whyte.

Their paths would diverge from this night, with Joshua going on to become a superstar after winning an Olympic Gold medal. Meanwhile, after trouble with England Boxing regarding his history as a professional kickboxer, Whyte turned over in 2011.

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As the two climbed through the ranks of the domestic scene and became names in their own right, the whispers of a rematch became deafening calls to see the young Brits have another dust-up.

Whyte accused AJ of putting on an intimidating façade, but claimed he knew the real Joshua.

(Getty)

Joshua did his best to dismiss Whyte and ignore his attempts to force a reaction from him, but it set up the fight to be a full-blooded firefight for the annals of British Boxing.

The rivalry boils over

Both men delivered on their promise of war as soon as the first bell rang. They met each other in the middle of the ring and began unloading powerful combinations looking for a statement knockout.

Joshua was finding more success in the first round with a slight advantage in accuracy and defensive savvy.

With less than a minute left in the first, Joshua landed a left hook to the temple of Whyte that wobbled the Jamaican-born brit and Joshua went on the hunt.

The assault continued until after the bell to end the round and Joshua landed a left hook, which caused Whyte to explode in anger as the referee tried to separate them, throwing wild punches over the official.

The early drama continued into the second round as Joshua picked up where he left off and landed a stiff right uppercut that put Whyte on the retreat. But Whyte is always dangerous and caught Joshua with the biggest shot he had taken in 15 professional fights.

The tables were turned, and Whyte was on the hunt, landing eye-catching right hands, putting the untested chin of Joshua under serious scrutiny.

Uncharted waters

(Getty Images)

The pace began to slow through the middle rounds as the pair had given everything in the first nine minutes to score an early knockout. But they both continued to exchange laboured yet dangerous combinations.

Joshua had yet to go past the third round, so it became an exploratory mission for him as well as the biggest test of his career.

The Olympic champion was having the better of the exchanges as he goaded Whyte into throwing punches he did not want to. His more polished and traditional style began to take hold as Whyte walked himself onto counter right hands and uppercuts.

The finish

Whyte was comfortably behind on the scorecard as the seventh round began; Joshua’s hand speed and fitness were beginning to overwhelm Whyte, who remained competitive but only found success in single shots.

Joshua capitalised on a lazy jab from Whyte less than a minute into the round and landed a long right hook that stunned Whyte.

This would spell the end of the night as Joshua bounded after his prey, who valiantly tried to reply, but was levelled by a right uppercut that sent him through the bottom rope, and the referee saw no need to start the count.

Joshua had punctuated one of British heavyweight boxing’s fiercest rivalries in the most definitive of terms.

Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN

Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte is live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday, August 16. Watch the PPV for free by purchasing a DAZN annual subscription (exc. US). More information, pricing and to buy click here.