For many years Dillian Whyte has long wanted a fight against Deontay Wilder, at one point sitting in a WBC mandatory position for over 1000 days. And while over the years that fight has never materialized, Whyte tells Sky Sports that it’s a fight he’d still like to secure even as he’s set to go up against Moses Itauma on Aug. 16.

Wilder recently returned to action in a get-well fight against Tyrrell Herndon last week but it’s obviously not a performance Whyte is reading much into as he says it was a fight Wilder was meant to win by design. That being said, Whyte believes that there are more meaningful and profitable fights for Wilder to make going forward — namely against himself — and that’s something he’d still like to see happen.

“He’s still someone I’d love to fight. Still someone I believe I can beat. I can knock him out as Joseph Parker, another guy showed, bashed him up. Zhilei Zhang too.

“I don’t like Deontay Wilder. I don’t want to go on about it and irritate myself at this stage of life. I don’t enjoy irritating myself. I don’t like to get irritated by stuff that’s going to irritate me.”

Of course before Whyte can really hope to settle any old grudge with Wilder in the ring, he’ll first have to take care of business against Itauma in a fight where he’s currently a considerable underdog by current betting odds.