"If Ruiz Jr can knock him out, I can 100 per cent knock him out, because I'm a harder puncher than Ruiz Jr, pound-for-pound"
Sunday 22 March 2020 20:12, UK
Dillian Whyte could be well positioned for an undisputed world title clash in 2021 - and hopes Anthony Joshua holds all the belts as he relishes a revenge fight.
The Brixton man has already lined up a mandatory title fight for the WBC belt by February 2021, but promoter Eddie Hearn remains eager to stage a blockbuster battle between unified champion Joshua and WBC champion Tyson Fury by the end of the year.
Whyte is likely to be next in line for the winner and would welcome the opportunity to renew his long-standing rivalry with Joshua, having defeated him as an amateur before suffering a professional defeat in 2015.
"Yeah, I would love that," Whyte told Sky Sports. "I would love to fight Joshua again, at a drop of a hat.
"It's one of the biggest fights out there. I'm in the game to have the biggest fights and the most meaningful fights. I'm trying to make history.
"Imagine, to get one shot at all the marbles at once, how unreal that would be after all this nonsense - and then out of nowhere, me and Joshua fight, I knock him out and became undisputed champion of the world."
Joshua regained his WBA 'super' IBF and WBO belts in a rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr, avenging a shock stoppage loss last June and is due to make his next title defence against IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Whyte is set to risk his mandatory status against Alexander Povetkin, Russia's former WBA champion in Manchester on May 2, also live on Sky Sports Box Office, and firmly believes he can exploit the same weaknesses as Ruiz Jr, if he receives another fight with Joshua.
"If Ruiz can knock him out, I can 100 per cent knock him out, because I'm a harder puncher than Andy Ruiz, pound-for-pound," said Whyte.
"I've got better feet than him as well, and better boxing technique than Andy Ruiz. He's got fast hands, but his feet are slow.
"I've shown also in fights that I can come back from being down on the scorecards and I carry knockout power in the later stages of the fight as well, which is a big thing for a heavyweight.
I showed you that I can get you round one, round two, round three, round four, or even round 11 and round 12, I can get you.
"A lot of heavyweights can only get you in one to six rounds. If they don't get you early, then that's a wrap for them.
"I showed you that I can get you round one, round two, round three, round four, or even round 11 and round 12, I can get you."
Fury is expected to fight Deontay Wilder again after claiming the WBC belt with a dominant stoppage triumph last month, although Hearn admits Joshua might even prioritise a fight with his fellow British title holder, instead of a defence against Pulev.
Whyte is willing to fight either champion, but insists it would be hard to predict an undisputed showdown between Joshua and Fury.
"There is a case for both of them (Joshua and Fury) winning and a case for both of them losing," he said.
