Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte: Fight Time, Date and TV Info

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte get to settle an old score when the two heavyweights meet for the vacant British title.

The two rivals have met once before, back in their amateur days. On that occasion Whyte came out on top, knocking his opponent down on the way to scoring a points victory.

Since then, however, Joshua's career has been on the up and up. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Games and has reeled off 14 successive wins by knockout after turning pro.

Whyte, meanwhile, moved into the paid ranks in 2011, only for his career to be held up by a two-year ban for using a supplement that contained a controlled substance, per Matt Slater of BBC Sport.

Having returned to action in 2014, the Jamaican-born fighter has extended his unbeaten record to 16-0 (13 KOs).

Now one of the perfect records has to come to an end in the main event of a card that also includes Tony Bellew, Luke Campbell, Chris Eubank Jr., Kevin Mitchell and also late addition Paulie Malignaggi.

When: Saturday December 12, 11 p.m. GMT (6 p.m. ET)

Where: O2 Arena, London

TV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK—pay-per-view channel)

Testing Times

LEON NEAL/Getty Images

The hype around Joshua has only grown with every KO. Big, strong and full of smiles, he has dazzled in the ring and charmed everyone out of it.

Such is his popularity already, the 26-year-old is topping a pay-per-view bill in a challenge for a domestic belt. Tickets were sold out in six hours, and that was long before the undercard was revealed.

However, his reputation is built on potential, rather than actual results. Joshua has so far breezed past any opponent put in his way, needing just 25 rounds to move to 14-0.

His last two foes—American Kevin Johnson and unbeaten Scotsman Gary Cornish—were meant to increase the level of difficulty. Joshua dismissed the pair so quickly you wondered if he had access to some sort of cheat code.

Now, though, he faces Whyte again. The rivalry is for real and stems back to that amateur bout in 2009.

Both were raw and ready back then, but the defeat still stings for reigning Commonwealth champion Joshua, per Declan Taylor of the Mail on Sunday.

He said:

"

When I watch it I just think, 'What was I doing here, what was I doing there?' 

If I would have known that what I did then would have had such a big impact now, I wish I would have done something different. 

But it’s all irrelevant because we are here now and I am who I am now, I’m not who I was then.

I’ve got the chance to correct my wrongs.

"

He has not taken Whyte's bait in the buildup, remaining calm in the face of provocation. But, once that first bell sounds, he can make his point—his fists will do the talking for him.

Joshua has all the tools needed be a world champion—he is tall (6′6″ to be precise), always in great physical shape and possesses power in both hands. Technically, there has been an improvement over time.

But potential doesn't guarantee titles. There will be tests he needs to pass along the way if he is to reach the top, and Whyte could well be the first of them.

All Whyte On The Night

Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

Dillian "The Villain" Whyte has little to lose and everything to gain on Saturday.

The pressure of expectation rests squarely on Joshua's rather broad shoulders, making Whyte a dangerous underdog. Per Odds Shark, he is priced at 15/2 for victory.

If he loses, it is not a major setback. The former kickboxer will have bagged a tidy sum for his troubles and few expect him to last long, let alone be the last man standing.

However, a victory—even a heroic performance in defeat—could catapult Whyte onto the next level.

The heavyweight division that once was Wladimir Klitschko's kingdom has now been divided up. Tyson Fury holds the WBA and WBO belts, while the IBF strap has now been stripped from him.

American Deontay Wilder is in possession of the WBC crown, and he has only recently found out who he will be facing in his next defence on January 16 (it's Artur Szpilka, in case you haven't heard).

There is a shortage of options out there for the champions to face, unless they can agree to take on each other.

Whyte can throw his name into the mix of potential challengers by making a name for himself against the highly rated Joshua.

He has revelled in the chance to be on the big stage, whipping up interest in the media by branding his foe "boring," per Isaac Robinson of Sky Sports.

Whyte continued to do the majority of the talking when the pair went head-to-head at the pre-fight press conference, as demonstrated in a tweet from Matchroom Boxing:

With Johnathon Banks—who is also Klitschko's trainer—in his corner and an excellent camp behind him, the underdog seems fully prepared to cause an upset.

Prediction

To predict anything other than a Joshua win would seem to border on the thin line between bravery and stupidity.

Whyte will give it everything. He has to get up close and upset his rival's rhythm—if he looks to take on his opponent from a distance, "The Villain" becomes a sitting duck.

However, until Joshua gets tagged on the chin, and we get to see how he copes with being plunged into choppy waters, we've no reason to doubt him.

Expect him to get his long-awaited revenge with yet another a stoppage win, with the bout over before Round 4.