ANTHONY JOSHUA would prefer to rematch Dillian Whyte than fight Tyson Fury – because his London rival “has more swag”.
AJ’s history with Whyte dates back to their amateur days when he lost a barnburner over three rounds in 2009.
When it came time to rematch in the professional ranks six years later, Joshua got his revenge with a seventh-round stoppage.
The pair are linked with a trilogy bout to finish off their series next year, while Fury, 34, unifies the division against Oleksandr Usyk, 35.
And Watford’s Joshua, 33, admitted bragging rights over Brixton’s Whyte, 34, means more than any world title bout against Fury.
He told GQ: “South London, North London, Fury is good but he’s a Manchester boy.
Read more in sport
“I think Dillian has more swag in general, but he’s come up short a few times.”
Joshua has taken time away from boxing following consecutive points losses to Usyk, with his Ukrainian rival now in talks for an undisputed fight with Fury.
Meanwhile Whyte edged past American Jermaine Franklin, 29, in his return fight in November via disputed majority decision.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has teased a summer rematch with AJ in a stadium.
Most read in Boxing
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
But for now, Joshua is putting together a new training team before a separate comeback fight of his own in the spring is announced.
Hearn told iFL TV: “Until the training team is confirmed for AJ, we won’t make any opponent selections because we want the input from the trainer.
“So again, we’ve got three or four guys that we’re talking to and ready to try and make a move for.
“We have to make sure the training team is comfortable with that. That’ll be the plan over the next couple of weeks.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
