Dillian Whyte believes Anthony Joshua needed to pursue an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois after his brutal defeat.
Joshua was dropped three times in the shock defeat to British rival Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September, in a damaging blow to his hopes of being in the world title mix.
AJ is coming to the back end of his career and was expected to face Dubois in an immediate sequel this year, spurred on by the opportunity of revenge.
But the fight collapsed and now the former two-time champion is waiting to see what the year brings in terms of a potential opponent.
It appeared the British heavyweight was waiting to see if he can lure Tyson Fury into a blockbuster, but the ‘Gypsy King’ recently announced his retirement.
And Whyte, who was beaten by Joshua in 2015, believes the rematch was necessary to write his wrongs before being able to move on.
Whyte told Sky Sports: “He made a huge mistake not taking the immediate rematch with Dubois.
“It was a world title fight, a great payday and the perfect opportunity. He will forever have to suffer the memes of being face-planted at Wembley by Dubois.
“When I lost to [Alexander] Povetkin, I crashed Eddie Hearn’s live interview and demanded the rematch.
“Nothing else mattered until I beat him in the rematch. It’s a mindset thing. I want to fight AJ and Tyson again because they both beat me.”
Whyte himself looked set to rematch Joshua last August but the fight was cancelled after one of his drug tests returned an adverse finding.
But now the ‘Body Snatcher’ wants the rematch again, which could be an alternative option for Joshua in 2025.
He added: “[Joshua] Sounds perfect for me. They don’t need to ask me twice.
“They talk about me as an option, but they haven’t said anything to me, so it’s just negotiation tactics from them.
“But I’m up for the fight and I’m ready to fight again. If he wants to fight, then all they’ve got to do is call me.
“I’m always up for fighting AJ. No problem for me. However, personally, I think he’s finished.”
Joshua could feasibly agree to face Whyte, with a showdown against Fury now seemingly off the table.
But he still possesses an interest in rematching Dubois, despite ‘Dynamite’ making his next IBF title defence against Joseph Parker on February 22.
Dubois is also determined to now move forward and suggested he would look to pursue a sequel with Oleksandr Usyk, which could be for the undisputed titles.
Joshua could also have numerous other options on the table, with promoter Eddie Hearn suggesting he could face Martin Bakole or Deontay Wilder.
