Deontay Wilder’s coach reveals severe concerns over fighting Anthony Joshua in UK after Dillian Whyte episode

Deontay Wilder’s team would be reluctant to fight Anthony Joshua in the UK due to the way Dillian Whyte’s recent case with UK Anti-Doping was handled.

The Briton reclaimed three versions of the world heavyweight title by beating Andy Ruiz last weekend, leaving Wilder with the last remaining WBC belt.

With clamour for an undisputed fight between the pair next year, Wilder’s trainer and co-manager Jay Deas has admitted trepidation over travelling for that contest.

Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test ahead of his last bout with Oscar Rivas in July, though UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control cleared the contender to fight – with the organisation dropping the charge before his points win over Mariusz Wach last week.

Deas has concerns over why Rivas was not informed at the time, while also being uneasy at a late change of gloves for Whyte without his opponent’s team able to inspect them.

“Wherever (the fight) makes the most sense is fine with us — I don’t have any qualms about travelling or anything of that nature,” Deas told the Mail.

“But I will tell you: I would certainly be concerned given the Dillian Whyte situation. I know that they cleared him of the drug thing but still, when they had a positive result, and did not tell the opponent, that’s problematic. I think that’s potentially criminal. That’s a big, big issue for me.

“Also the fact that Dillian changed gloves without the other side being able to examine the gloves. So there would have to be a lot of things that we would have to talk about relative to the BBBoC and making sure that it was a level playing field because those things were horribly handled and, in my opinion, set British boxing back quite a few years.”