Joshua vs. Whyte talk dead
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith has shut down talk of an immediate Anthony Joshua–Dillian Whyte rematch, saying the focus is on Joshua’s health and comeback plans rather than a Whyte sequel (yardbarker.com) (boxingscene.com).
Anthony Joshua’s most recent ring appearance was a sixth-round stoppage of Jake Paul at Miami’s Kaseya Center on December 19, 2025. (espn.com) Ten days later Joshua was involved in a car crash on the Lagos–Ibadan expressway on December 29, 2025 that killed two close friends and team members; Matchroom said he was hospitalized and in stable condition. (abc.net.au) Photographs and posts show Joshua back in the gym training under Iegor (Igor) Golub, with undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk observed giving technical instruction during sessions. (independent.co.uk) Matchroom sources have indicated a target of a summer return for Joshua but confirmed no opponent, date or contract has been finalised for that comeback. (boxingshowtimes.com) Dillian Whyte has not been inactive: he scored a seventh-round stoppage over Ebenezer Tetteh in Gibraltar on December 15, 2024 as part of his own comeback sequence. (espn.ph) A planned Joshua–Whyte rematch previously set for August 12, 2023 at London’s O2 was cancelled a week before fight night after Whyte returned “adverse analytical findings” in a VADA anti‑doping test. (skysports.com)
