Former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has had no shortage of bust-ups and war of words with his boxing rivals in the past, but only one fighter has earned the British boxer’s true hatred.
Joshua, 35, who made his pro debut in 2013 following his London 2012 super-heavyweight gold medal success, twice held the WBO, IBF, and WBA championships from 2018 to 2019 and went on to repeat the feat after he reclaimed his belts at the expense of Andy Ruiz Jr in late 2019.
The orthodox 6ft 6in boxer had ownership of the coveted titles until he was defeated by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, as the now 38-year-old put an end to Joshua’s two-year reign as the unified champion.
Following on from that disappointment, Joshua fought against noteworthy opponents, including former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and fellow British boxer Daniel Dubois, in an attempt to steer his career onto the path of a championship bout once more.
| Anthony Joshua’s professional boxing record (as of 19/05/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32 fights | 28 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 25 | 2 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
There has also been the long-standing rivalry with Tyson Fury that had looked destined to be settled in a boxing ring, before the Gypsy King’s retirement silenced talk of the match-up.
However, none of these men can claim to be the subject of Joshua’s intense dislike, as the 35-year-old instead named another of his previous foes, Dillian Whyte.
What Anthony Joshua Has Said About ‘Most-Hated’ Rival
AJ is not a fan of his and he’s made that public knowledge
Speaking before Whyte clashed with Tyson Fury in 2022, AJ made his disdain for the man he had fought twice known.
“I’m rooting for Dillian (ahead of Fury v Whyte), even though I hate him, and I want to smash him one of these days.”
The rivalry between the two is deep-rooted and stems from an amateur bout in 2009 where Whyte picked up the win thanks to the judges’ scorecards. The professional rematch in 2015, dubbed “bad intentions”, went the way of Joshua as the Watford-born boxer won in the seventh round via TKO.
The build-up to that fight was well documented, and its spectacle only aided by a face-to-face meeting between the two that aired on Sky Sports at the time.
“You got bashed up,” Whyte said to Joshua (referring to the amateur fight) before AJ interjected, making his thoughts on the Jamaican-British boxer clear: “You talk too much.”
With Dillian Whyte set to make his return to the ring in June after an injury that forced the cancellation of his fight with Joe Joyce, and Anthony Joshua yet to confirm his next opponent, the chance to reignite this long-standing rivalry could be on the cards before too long.
