ANTHONY JOSHUA has “lied” by claiming he will not fight until December, says heavyweight rival Dillian Whyte.
AJ, 33, returned to the ring earlier this month with a points victory over Jermaine Franklin.
After his comeback win, the plan for Joshua was to fight in the summer and at the end of the year as his team eyed an active 2023.
But then last week the Olympic gold medallist revealed on social media he does not plan to step back into the ring until December.
However, Whyte, 35, who has been linked with a fight against Joshua, is unconvinced AJ will wait until the end of the year.
When discussing Joshua’s plan to return in December, he told iFL TV: “That’s a lie. Joshua ain’t gonna wait until December to fight. If he’s not injured, why would he wait until December to fight?
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“Joshua just thinks he’s some sort of mystery man nowadays. He thinks he’s f*****g Martin Luther King or something, you know.
“No-one believes it. Anyone that believes that is an idiot. Why would he not fight until December when he can potentially get three fights this year?”
Asked why Joshua would claim he was not fighting until December, Whyte added: “He’s just trying to create some sort of mystery.
“He’s a strange guy. He’s just doing some strange stuff, man.
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“He’s definitely going to fight before December, 100 per cent.”
Whyte went on to insist he is open to a third fight with Joshua – with the pair having met previously in the amateur and professional ranks.
Whyte beat AJ when the pair battled it out in the amateurs.
Then in 2015, Joshua got his revenge by stopping his British rival in the seventh round of their grudge match at the O2.
Since then, Joshua has gone on to become a two-time world heavyweight champion, before suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Whyte has also secured some impressive victories against the likes of Derek Chisora, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin.
But he was outclassed and knocked out by Tyson Fury in April last year.
He returned to the ring in November, clinching a majority decision win over Franklin.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
