British Heavyweight rivals Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will meet in an explosive rematch at The O2 in London on Saturday August 12, shown exclusively live on DAZN around the world and on DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.
Two-time unified Heavyweight World Champion Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) and former World Title challenger Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) lock horns again nearly eight years on from their wild British Title clash in Greenwich, which Joshua won by a huge seventh-round stoppage to end a thrilling war.
Brixton’s Whyte has a long-running rivalry with Joshua, having beaten the Watford man on points as an amateur back in 2009 before Joshua won an Olympic gold medal at London 2012 which kick-started his meteoric rise to global stardom.
‘AJ’ went on to unify the Heavyweight division, winning the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO crowns as he became one of the biggest athletes on the planet with a string of wins against the likes on Charles Martin, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Andy Ruiz and Kubrat Pulev.
The 33-year-old convincingly outpointed Jermaine Franklin at The O2 earlier this year as he returned to winning ways under new trainer Derrick James following back-to-back defeats to Ukrainian pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.
Whyte, whose last win also came via a points decision against the USA’s Franklin last year, fell short in his record-breaking World Title challenge against undefeated WBC ruler Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium in April 2022, succumbing to a sixth-round TKO loss.
The Jamaican-born warrior, 36, has aspirations of fighting for another World Title and knows that a win over his old foe Joshua next month will put him in prime position for another mega-fight against one of the division’s other glamour names later this year.
“I’ve been clear that my plan is to be active this year," said Joshua. "August 12 is the date, I’ll be ready to fight. I look forward to dealing with business."
“I’m looking forward to returning to the London O2 on August 12 and going to war,” said Whyte. “It's 1-1 so this is the decider!”
"I can’t quite believe this fight is happening and there was absolutely no stopping either man," said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. "The rivalry runs deep and there is something about these two where they will never back down from each other. At times it may have looked like a game of bluff but now we are set and with everything that’s on the line this is an absolute must win for both. Just like the first time at The O2, get ready for fireworks August 12 and a huge night of boxing live on DAZN."
“It is great to have Anthony Joshua back fighting on the platform so soon after his fight in April," said Joseph Markowski, CEO North America, DAZN Group. "We want ‘AJ’ in the biggest fights and in Dillian Whyte this is a massive one - reigniting a feud that has bubbled away for well over a decade. August 12 promises to be fireworks. Watch a night of all out action, live and exclusive on DAZN around the world and on DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.”
