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‘I was gonna beat him up’ – Dillian Whyte reveals how he and Anthony Joshua clashed as youngsters in Wladimir Klitschko’s training camp

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte share a famous rivalry spanning all the way back to their amateur days as youngsters.

The heavyweights appear to have a begrudging respect for one another nowadays, though bad blood clearly still simmers under the surface.

Whyte and Joshua had to be separated when they clashed in Klitschko’s camp

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Whyte and Joshua had to be separated when they clashed in Klitschko’s camp

As novices in October 2009, AJ was handed his first defeat by Whyte, who dropped him and beat him on points in a three-round contest.

This would far from be the last time they saw one another.

The pair spent time in Wladimir Klitschko’s training camp together in their early days.

And then, as young professionals, they met in a 2015 grudge match for the British and Commonwealth titles, which AJ won by KO.

Whyte was initially recruited by Vitali and then also by Wladimir

Instagram - Dillian Whyte
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Whyte was initially recruited by Vitali and then also by Wladimir

Recalling their time together in Klitschko’s camp, Whyte told the BBC: “He was sucking up to Wladimir a bit.

“Joshua is a funny guy, he was a bit in awe. He was like, ‘Ah, wow.’

“He sparred good, he done his thing, but he was a bit in awe of Klitschko, he’s a bit like that.

“I was just like, ‘Yo, I’m just here, I ain’t trying to get my a*** whooped, I’m looking to whoop some a***.’

“I was training, I was in a different mindset.”

AJ sparred with Wladimir years before they fought as pros

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AJ sparred with Wladimir years before they fought as pros

He added: “Me and Joshua actually got into it and I was actually gonna beat him up.

“And then people got in and people started breaking it up or whatever.

“We sat down and Bashir [trainer] said, ‘You guys are here to help the champ, you guys can’t be doing personal stuff.’

“And then that was it.”

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