Anthony Joshua explained why Dillian Whyte’s victory over Jermaine Franklin does not tell him too much about his own prospects.
Whyte and Joshua met before with the latter winning, and in Whyte’s most recent fight he lost against American heavyweight Franklin last year.
He has now been positioned as Joshua’s next opponent, and the pair will battle it out on April 1 at the O2 in a fight shown live on DAZN.
Speaking to DAZN, Joshua explained that he would not be underestimating the challenge ahead of him.
He said: “I actually rate him, I think he’s very talented. He’s from boxing stocks, he’s got moves, he’s got skills, he’s got a good counter, hooker, jabber, workrate. Don’t underestimate this kid.
“Cos Whyte’s popular, doesn’t mean he’s going to win. It’s not a popularity contest, it’s a fight. Jermaine Franklins’ a fighter, whether you know of him, that’s your own research. But in terms of talent, he’s coming to fight you and take your head off, that’s what he tried to do with Dillian.
“His opponent is still worthy enough to step in the ring with him.
“It’s people who have big expectations, who think they know so much about the sport. In order to get a big fight you have to go through that process, I’m not saying that I’ve gone and beaten him already, but God willing I pass this test, that can lead to another fight and another fight to another massive fight.
“It feels like a long time since I’ve last fought, so my goal is to fight and continue. I just want to get some momentum going again, it’s nice to have a date set.”