Dillian Whyte warns British rival Anthony Joshua: "I don't play games"
Anthony Joshua and coach Robert McCracken during a media workout
It promises to be a thrilling night of action with Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon as the co-main event.
Dillian Whyte has warned Anthony Joshua not to play games with him after the multi-belt world champion reignited the feud between the heavyweights with some off the cuff remarks.
Joshua's comments to Sky VIP were quickly relayed to the “Bodysnatcher” who made it clear he wasn't in on the joke.
Whyte will throw hands with experienced Ukrainian Alexander Povetkin in the climax to Matchroom HQ's Fight Camp in Brentwood and warned Joshua not to get too familiar should they meet.
Joshua's joke doesn't land
"I might get in there and give him a punch as well," Joshua said in a recent interview on Sky Sports.
"You're getting me psyched up now."
The two men met in 2015 for the vacant British heavyweight title but could not agree terms for a 2019 rematch, and during those negotiations, things got nasty between the two.
That all appeared to have been swept under the rug after Whyte wished AJ good luck in his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr but the 32-year-old's response to Joshua's joke suggests that is far from the case.
Joshua will be part of the television broadcast team for the fight, but Whyte has told Joshua of the repercussions if he steps into the ring after the contest.
"He might get a box if he does that. He might get a box, there and then, one box.
"He thinks it's a game, but I don't play games with these guys.
"They think it's a game, scream and shout and get in each other's faces, but if he does, he will get a box."
Whyte is the mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury's WBC heavyweight title, a fight the organisation has insisted will happen before Joshua gets a crack at the Gypsy King.
The WBC will set a date for the fight after Fury's rematch against Deontay Wilder with the winner of that bout taking on Whyte.
"The mandatory defense will be ordered the day after the Wilder-Fury fight," WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed during the organisation's convention.
"Of course, it's impossible if the fight happens [on] 19 December for the fight to take place in February 2021."
Must-win for Whyte
If Whyte loses to Povetkin, the WBC will reconsider his status as the mandatory challenger and it could be the Russian who takes his spot.
"The date stated in February is not the set date," Sulaiman confirmed
"The winner of Wilder-Fury is committed to fight Whyte if he is victorious on 22 August. A letter will go out one day after their fight - which we were told will be in December - for negotiations to begin."
