Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte trade insults ahead of O2 clash
Wednesday 2 December 2015 10:00, UK
Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte meet in the ring on December 12 but verbally, they've been at war for some time.
Whyte beat Joshua in the amateurs in 2009 - even knocking the future Olympic champion down.
The feud gathered pace when they turned pro and set them on an inevitable collision course which comes to a head at The O2 this month, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Joshua has attracted publicity through his flawless run of knockouts - no opponent has taken him beyond the third round. Whyte, meanwhile, has been taken the distance just three times in his 16 professional bouts.
Let's see whose words have hit the hardest so far...
WHYTE: "I'm the predator that smiles just before the kill. I know blood is coming. I can taste it even before it starts running so my juices are flowing. I'm licking my lips."
JOSHUA: "I went on to do good things as an amateur and as I turned pro people said, 'Dillian is coming for you'. Come on now, I'm not worried about anyone."
WHYTE: "I expect him to be psyched up, coming out raging and trying to destroy me because he's got the world to lose. He's money-orientated so he knows that if he loses here, the big pay-days are going to stop for a while."
JOSHUA: "Since turning pro, I said, 'Dillian can't be mentioned in the same sentence as me'. He bit at that comment. He used that as a way to fuel his popularity and build himself up which is how he's got our fight."
WHYTE: "I don't know, he must have been drunk or something, he called me a drug cheat and said he couldn't take me serious and I only won [against him] because I had a kickboxing fight before. It got a bit heated and I offered him out to fight me and then it got calmed down."
JOSHUA: "You're lucky to be on my undercard!"
WHYTE: "I've humbled him in the ring before and I'll humble him again. I remember his friends were giving it before the fight last time and I said I would knock him out. I almost knocked him out."
JOSHUA: "He beat me years ago. Many years ago. He seems to be bringing that into the future with him. I'm cool. If you think you can still beat me and that I'm that same kid, let's get it on at The O2 on December 12. We'll go to war."
WHYTE: "If people say Anthony Joshua is a bad man with a ruthless side to him, I am saying he is no bad man. He is a good boy. He is a good boxer but he is a good boy."
JOSHUA: "He's running his mouth as per usual. I'm out on the streets running and getting in my cardio - that's all I'm doing. We're going to clash."
WHYTE: "That's not a real man. He's not real, he's like a housewife that is being controlled. What he's doing isn't natural. He's sitting there like a robot. I cannot wait for his batteries to run out."
JOSHUA: "I asked Dillian to explain what he means [by calling me a fake] and he can't answer. I did ask him what he means because I don't understand myself. I just don't have a clue. I just do my thing."
