Breaking Down Anthony Joshua's Future Opponent Dillian Whyte

On Saturday night, an exciting British heavyweight prospect maintained his unbeaten record with a first-round stoppage win. It was not Anthony Joshua, one of the most talked-about boxers in the United Kingdom, but the man who is on a collision course to face him: Dillian Whyte.

Fighting on the undercard to the clash between local rivals Luke Campbell and Tommy Coyle in Hull, England, Whyte wasted little time in recording his 12th knockout in 15 outings.

The Body Snatcher stopped Irineu Beato Costa Junior with 19 seconds remaining in the opener. The Brazilian was unable to recover after being knocked down for a second time.

Costa was never likely to cause an upset, but he had names on his record that suggested he could at least stick around for a while and make Whyte work.

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He had taken the once highly touted David Price six rounds in February, while former European champion Christian Hammer had to go the distance against the South American in 2014.

However, given the chance to impress a televised audience, Whyte did exactly what any promising heavyweight should do—he took out an overmatched opponent in a clinical fashion.

Both knockdowns came when he landed a straight right-left hook combination. The second blow on each occasion caught his rival near the top of the head, resulting in him losing his bearings. When he went down for the first time, Costa looked as if the mat had been whipped out from underneath his feet.

Whyte shrugged his shoulders to the crowd when Costa failed to recover in time from a second trip to the canvas.

It was a convincing triumph, but one that didn't reveal anything new about the Jamaican-born boxer.

He will be back in action on September 12 on a card that includes Joshua taking on Gary Cornish for the vacant Commonwealth belt. Promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports (h/t Sporting Life) "the deal's done" for the two rivals to settle an old score later this year, provided they win next time out.

The bad blood between Joshua and Whyte stretches back to an amateur bout between the pair, with the latter not only winning that contest, but also knocking the future Olympic champion to the canvas.

Joshua has made serene progress in the paid ranks so far. In compiling a 13-0 (13 KOs) record, he has become the smiling assassin. That loss in the amateurs, though, still seems to rankle deep within.

Hearn told Sky Sports: "The rivalry is real and I could see that in the negotiations and Dillian will be trying to press all the buttons to get under his (Joshua's) skin."

Whyte told Nick Parkinson of ESPN.co.uk: "I knocked him down and threw him around like a rag doll. I didn't knock him out, but with 10 oz gloves on, I believe I would put him to sleep."

The bad blood has raised the level of interest. And the plan is for the British title to be on the line when they do eventually meet in the ring again, according to Boxing News.

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The bout may not have happened at this stage had Whyte's career not been held up by a two-year ban for a failed drug test. He was punished for taking a supplement called Jack3D that contained the banned substance Methylhexanamine (MHA), per Matt Slater of BBC Sport.

Since returning to action in November last year, he has made up for lost time with a six-fight winning streak.

He has reeled off the victories without the same fanfare as Joshua but has been just as impressive as the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight champion.

As he looks to make progress, Whyte has enlisted the help of Johnathon Banks, Wladimir Klitschko's trainer and a disciple of the late Emanuel Steward, to aid his development.

The American—a former heavyweight fighter himself—was in his new man's corner in Hull, with Whyte saying after their first fight together, per Shaun Brown of Boxingscene.com: "He’s taking me back to basics."

There are solid foundations in place that Banks can build on—Whyte is big, powerful and willing to listen and learn.

His background was in kickboxing, and he was still a raw prospect when he fought Joshua the first time. He will be a much more rounded fighter for the rematch.

How much progress he can make under Banks' stewardship in the next few months is tough to gauge, but Whyte has all the traits required to provide Joshua with the test he needs at this stage of his career.

When they do finally go head-to-head again, all the ingredients are there for them to serve up a treat for boxing fans. The fact they have history just adds a little more spice to the whole occasion.