British heavyweight Dillian Whyte has launched a devastating critique of former world champion Anthony Joshua, claiming his long-time rival appears "lost" and questioning his career direction ahead of his upcoming fight against Jake Paul.
The McCracken Mistake
Whyte pinpointed Joshua's decision to split from long-time trainer Rob McCracken in 2021 as the critical turning point in his career decline. Speaking exclusively to Clubhouse Boxing, Whyte expressed his belief that ending their decade-long partnership was Joshua's "biggest mistake."
"I think Robert McCracken was the best trainer for him," Whyte stated. "Rob McCracken was also a smart, quiet, intelligent guy when boxing's concerned. It seems like he's wandering, he's a bit lost, it seems like he's looking for something that he's not going to find in a boxing trainer."
Whyte emphasised that Joshua needs to find solutions "deep down within himself" rather than seeking answers from new trainers, suggesting "no boxing trainer can help him with it."
Questionable Training Choices
The Brixton fighter was equally scathing about Joshua's recent decision to train with members of Oleksandr Usyk's camp, despite suffering two consecutive defeats to the Ukrainian champion in September 2021 and August 2022.
"He's over here training with one guy and then next he's over there training with Usyk," Whyte remarked. "I mean bro, I'm not going to go and train with Ben Davison now because I lost to Moses Itauma. You don't go training with Usyk's trainer because you lost to Usyk."
Whyte questioned the logic behind adopting training methods designed for a completely different fighting style, asking pointedly: "Usyk's got a completely different style so why does he think that's going to work for him?"
Confidence Crisis and Paul Fight
Whyte identified Joshua's shattered confidence as the most concerning aspect of his current predicament. "Obviously you can have experience, skills and what not but it's confidence," he explained. "If you're not confident, there is no point going into the fight."
The upcoming December 19 bout against YouTube star Jake Paul in Miami, Florida - which will be professionally sanctioned with a 225lbs weight cap on Joshua and 10oz gloves - drew particular criticism from Whyte.
"He's fighting Jake Paul. I think that says it all," Whyte said dismissively. "That's just a money move, it's not going to do anything for his confidence. If he comes back to boxing and faces the likes of Fury, it's going to be very different. He needs to get back to real boxing."
Wardley Threat and Trilogy Ambitions
In perhaps his most surprising assessment, Whyte claimed that newly crowned WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley could defeat Joshua if they fought tomorrow, citing Wardley's confidence as the decisive factor.
"Definitely, definitely, definitely," Whyte asserted when asked if Wardley could beat the former champion. "Especially, AJ is coming off a long layoff as well. Fabio's got that confidence you need to be successful."
Whyte, who now manages and mentors Wardley, revealed his own desire for a trilogy fight against Joshua in 2026, despite losing their previous encounters - a close points decision in 2015 and a knockout defeat in their 2022 rematch.
"I would love to fight AJ again," Whyte confirmed. "I want to right that wrong and it makes sense for both of us as it would be a big fight. There's not a lot of guys for AJ to fight. There's not a lot of guys for me to fight."
The verdict from Joshua's long-time rival paints a troubling picture of a former champion struggling to rediscover his identity and confidence as he approaches what many consider a career crossroads.
