This is Rummy’s Corner.
Coming up on August 12th, at the sold out O2 Arena in London, England, in a bout that
will be televised on the still relatively new streaming app service known as DAZN, former
heavyweight title challenger Dillian Whyte will have a rematch against former 2-time
unified IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
These two first met all the way back in December 2015, back when they were both promising undefeated
up and coming heavyweight contenders.
Back then the heavyweight landscape was quite different.
Tyson Fury was the unified WBA/WBO and lineal world heavyweight champion, the IBF belt was
vacant, because even though Fury won that belt from Wladimir Klitschko 2 weeks before
AJ and Whyte first met, the IBF stripped Fury a mere 10 days after he won their belt.
And the WBC heavyweight champion was Deontay Wilder.
Fast forward to today, now Oleksandr Usyk is the unified IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion,
and Tyson Fury is the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion, having still never lost that distinction
inside the ring.
And entering this fight, Joshua has lost 2 of his last 3, and Whyte has lost 2 of his
last 4.
But despite their trouble at the top level over their last few fights, the winner of
this showdown is still very much a viable contender in the ever shifting dynamics of
the rather lethargic heavyweight landscape.
When these two first met the fight opened with a lot of fireworks, as an aggressive
AJ was looking to apply pressure and open up, while Whyte was looking to find an opening
for a counter left hook.
The action was fast paced and a bit scrappy, but both of them were looking to heavily unload.
The intensity was real, as evidenced by the heated action that unfolded following the
end of the opening round.
Indeed things got a little wild and chaotic there for a moment.
It was absolutely bonkers!
In round 2 AJ was looking to press the action and go on the attack, and he landed some bombs
on Whyte, but in the midst of his attack, Whyte drilled him with a mean left that appeared
to have Joshua hurt.
Whyte tried to follow up, and to his credit AJ quickly regained his composure, and before
long he was once again firing off heavy handed shots.
Over the next few rounds things slowed down into more of a tactical rhythm, but both boxers
were still frequently firing off in short combinations.
There was a give and take momentum, but by and large AJ was throwing more, landing more,
and landing with more authority.
Joshua was winning the rounds, but Whyte was providing just enough spirited return fire
that he was in the fight.
In round 7, AJ landed a clubbing right that staggered Whyte, and Joshua went right after
him.
Before long Joshua nailed a staggering Whyte with a mighty uppercut that ended matters.
It was a 7th round stoppage win for Anthony Joshua.
And back then, this was the first time AJ had gone more than 3 rounds, and it was the
first time Whyte had gone more than 4.
Since then AJ has gone the full 12 five times, and Whyte has also gone the full 12 five times.
So both of these guys are completely different fighters now, with far more experience, far
more wear and tear, more history behind their rivalry, and everything on the line in this
highly anticipated crossroads rematch, where the loser might well be done at the top level.
The victory against Whyte propelled AJ to the next level, and in his very next fight
he won the IBF heavyweight title against Charles Martin, and then a couple of title defenses
later, he had a career defining victory against former long reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko.
That was a highly engaging and dramatic affair, where AJ started strong and dropped Klitschko
in round 5, and then Wladimir rallied back in the very next round when he dropped AJ,
and then Wlad’s experience carried him through the next few rounds.
But all the while, Joshua hung in there, he persevered, he regained his composure and
bravely began battling his way back.
And Joshua prevailed, ultimately stopping Klitschko in round 11.
That fight was also for the vacant WBA super duper heavyweight title, making AJ a unified
champion.
Joshua would go on to add a 3rd major belt to his collection when he won a 12 round unanimous
decision against Joseph Parker to win the WBO belt, and then he would have another notable
unified defense when he stopped Alexander Povetkin.
But then AJ’s reign came to an abrupt halt when he lost in an upset against Andy Ruiz
Jr.
Since that time - and arguably this all started further back, following his win against Wladimir
- but Joshua is no longer the same type of fighter he once was.
His style has evolved into something more conservative, which has opened him up to a
lot of criticism.
He would win back his unified crown in one-sided fashion in his immediate rematch against Ruiz,
but despite avenging his loss, a lot of fans were critical with his safety first approach.
Many were also critical of the victory because Ruiz did not appear to be in top shape, although
that is certainly not Joshua’s fault.
After making a title defense against Pulev, AJ lost back-to-back fights against Oleksandr
Usyk.
AJ was thoroughly outboxed against the master technician, and he had no answers for Usyk’s
superior game plan and execution.
Joshua has fought just once since losing back-to-back fights against Usyk, and that was a 12 round
unanimous decision victory against Jermaine Franklin back in April.
While some fans were critical of his performance, he did what he needed to do when trying to
rebound in his first fight with a new trainer.
Bottom line here, Joshua won the fight, and he won without much difficulty.
Meanwhile, after losing to Joshua, The Body Snatcher went on to win 11 in a row, which
included a pair of victories against Dereck Chisora, a win against Robert Helenius, and
a somewhat controversial victory against former WBO champion Joseph Parker.
Whyte was viewed as a serious contender during this stretch, and his plans at landing a title
fight were nearly derailed when he was stopped in a wild encounter against Alexander Povetkin.
After controlling the action and dropping Povetkin twice in round 4, Whyte was stopped
by a perfectly timed uppercut in round 5.
To his credit, Whyte rebounded and won the rematch stopping Povetkin in round 4.
That earned him a shot against WBC champion Tyson Fury, where Whyte was the mandatory
challenger, and Fury stopped him with a snappy uppercut in round 6.
Whyte rebounded from that loss last November when he won a 12 round majority decision against
the aforementioned Jermaine Franklin.
That was a somewhat controversial verdict where many observers believed Franklin had
done enough to deserve the win.
But The Body Snatcher got the nod in that one, and the strong performance from Franklin
earned him another chance when he faced AJ back in April.
That decision was somewhat of a head scratcher, as most were expecting Joshua to face the
winner of that fight, which would have meant an earlier rematch against Whyte.
But here we are!
Now there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that AJ is no longer the same boxer he was
back when he first faced Whyte.
And the reverse is true, too.
Whyte is no longer the same boxer, either.
Both of these guys are no longer in the rising prospect/contender phase, they are both far
more experienced, with far more wear and tear, and with that greater degree of experience,
by extension, comes wisdom.
And I personally believe this is especially true of Joshua.
AJ gets a lot of criticism for lacking heart, and no longer having the hunger to engage
in a true give and take fight when everything is on the line.
No doubt he is a different fighter now, but I think a lot of AJ’s loudest critics are
overstating his demise, and underselling what he has accomplished.
If AJ has slipped as much as some of his loudest critics claim, then Whyte will have a real
chance at derailing Anthony Joshua’s entire career at the top level.
So the general perception now is that AJ has no faith in his ability to take a big punch,
and as such, he fights more conservatively, more cautiously, and the good combinations
he was once known for throwing seems to be a thing of the past.
And while there is certainly some truth in this, it’s not ALL bad.
Some of his newer refinements in his evolving approach are things that could potentially
benefit him in both the short term, and maybe even the long term.
A lot of fans were extremely critical of AJ’s performance against Franklin, but at the end
of the day, AJ won that fight without much difficulty.
Whyte on the other hand, had a great deal more difficulty, and according to some, he
could have and should have lost.
Now I’m not advocating triangle theories here, or anything like that.
But I do think this speaks to their levels.
Whyte is no longer as agile as he once was, and he never had especially great agility
for an elite level heavyweight to begin with.
Yet he could be deceptively fast at times, deceptively patient, and he could indeed box
adequately to the point where he can find opportunities to open up in explosive fashion.
Whyte might not be the most able and clever heavyweight in recent years, but he is able
and clever enough, where he has generally won or been mostly competitive at the top
level - save, perhaps, for his first fight against AJ and his loss against Fury.
Even in the first Povetkin bout, Whyte was clearly winning the contest until Povetkin
launched an absolute missile of an uppercut that leveled him.
He won a few that maybe could have gone the other way, like the Parker fight.
But Whyte has been a fixture in the Heavyweight Top 10 for eight long years now.
The criticisms against AJ, when taken in a certain context, may seem valid.
He’s gunshy!
He doesn't want to get hit.
Well, the flipside to this is that he is more defensively responsible and less reckless
with his offense.
Those are, I think, ultimately good things.
After losing to Ruiz, he rebounded and dominated the action in the rematch with great tactical
aptitude and without ever needing to take it out of first gear.
Then he lost back-to-back fights against a master like Usyk.
Indeed, AJ didn’t seem overly eager to go for broke despite clearly losing most rounds
in both fights.
But AJ has never been an especially physical fighter, and going for broke against a guy
like Usyk is far easier said than done.
Then AJ had a nice tactical performance against Franklin, coming off TWO ego-bruising losses
in his first fight adjusting to a new trainer.
But the expectation was he would make a big statement and knock him out.
Instead, if anything, AJ maybe made more of a tactical statement.
If AJ’s killer instinct is truly gone, and his mental determination shattered, then if
Whyte can land a walloping shot like he did in round 2 of their first fight, Whyte will
win.
But with this so-called lack of killer instinct, I truly believe AJ has learned to box more
effectively, even if it appears to be the less entertaining safety-first variety.
This is not automatically a bad thing.
Wladimir Klitschko was often accused of this, but he had one of the most dominant heavyweight
championship reigns in history.
And even Lennox Lewis, a tremendous boxer with an outstanding punch who had more than
his fair share of stunning highlight reel knockouts - he was often accused of being
boring and safety-first.
But at the end of the day, isn’t it about what works to secure the win?
And Dr Steelhammer had some damn fine knockouts as well.
When it comes to this rematch - AJ and Whyte might both be a little less aggressive, a
little more patient, and a little more nuanced with the natural progression that inherently
comes with experience at the elite level in the division.
But I think the basic foundation of their blueprint remains the same.
Whyte has not been particularly effective against either of the top 2 opponents he faced
- Fury and AJ.
And in that first fight, Joshua was the one who clearly had the superior skillset, the
better punch selection, and he was the one consistently nailing the mark harder and more
often.
So while AJ and Whyte might be at a very different stage than they were then, the fundamental
style clash remains the same.
And given the fact I believe AJ has more left in the tank in addition to being superior
in terms of skills, ring IQ, and athleticism - I believe that sooner or later, AJ will
walk Whyte into his kryptonite - a monster uppercut.
And I believe this will happen sooner than when they last met.
So for my official prediction - I am taking Anthony Joshua by 4th round knockout, and
I think AJ will make a big statement, and it will generate a lot of excitement for potential
showdowns against the likes of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
This is what I believe will happen in this one, but then again, what the hell do I know?
I ain’t exactly Quasimodo over here.
But I am genuinely fired-up for this one, and I think it’s a terrific crossroads do
or die fight for both fighters at this stage in their respective careers.
Best of luck to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.
I’m fired-up to watch!
August 12, on DAZN!
So who do you think will win the rematch?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Thank you very much for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy’s Corner.