Despite a bitter rivalry, Joshua backs Whyte in the highly anticipated British heavyweight title clash.

Anthony Joshua has expressed unexpected support for his long-time rival Dillian Whyte ahead of the WBC heavyweight title bout against Tyson Fury in April. After extended negotiations, Whyte signed the contract to face Fury at Wembley Stadium on 23 April in a highly anticipated all-British showdown.

This will be Whyte’s first opportunity to fight for a world title and marks Fury’s return to British soil, where he hasn’t fought since defeating Francesco Pianeta at Windsor Park in Belfast in August 2018.

Joshua, who has a rivalry with Whyte dating back to their amateur days and defeated him via technical knockout in December 2015, shared his thoughts with iFLTV ahead of Lawrence Okolie’s victory over Michal Cieslak on Sunday evening. Despite admitting his strong dislike for Whyte, the 32-year-old revealed he is rooting for him over Fury, who recently concluded a historic trilogy of fights with Deontay Wilder.

“It’s a solid opponent [for Fury], a good title defence against Dillian Whyte,” Joshua stated.

“Dillian needs to study what Fury does and react by doing the complete opposite. Perhaps focus on bodywork and prepare to go the distance. I hope he trains hard and doesn’t underestimate Tyson because this is his first chance at a world title, and I believe he’ll be hungry for it, you know what I mean?”

Joshua continued: “It’s not like this is his tenth shot at a title where you can afford a hiccup. This is his first chance. I’m rooting for Dillian, even though I hate him and still want to fight him again one day. Go on, Dillian, I’m fully behind you.”