Dillian Whyte's dream of a rematch with Anthony Joshua could become a reality on Saturday, providing he can get past Joseph Parker in London.

Whyte has always been the nearly man in the heavyweight division but he would be a veritable contender for Joshua's titles if he can become the second man — after Joshua — to beat the New Zealander.

In his first amateur fight in 2009, Whyte beat Joshua over three rounds, beginning a rivalry with his fellow Londoner.

Whyte's early professional career was blighted by a two-year drugs ban in 2012, the "Junkyard Dog" having tested positive for banned stimulant Methylhexaneamine.

When he returned in 2014 the former kickboxer maintained an unbeaten record all the way until 2015 — a knockout win over Brian Minto his 15th in a row. That brought a rematch with Joshua in December, a fight that caught the attention of the public as they battled it out for the British heavyweight title.

Going 16-0 was not to be, though, as Joshua recorded a seventh-round triumph, his power too much for Whyte as an uppercut ended the contest.

After shoulder surgery, Whyte was back in action six months later on the undercard of Joshua's first title defense against Dominic Breazeale.

That began his latest run of victories — which stands at seven — while there has also been plenty of drama out of the ring.

His meeting with Dereck Chisora was particularly rumbustious, his opponent throwing a table over Whyte during the pre-fight press conference. It did not affect Whyte as he won by split decision in Manchester, setting him up to beat Malcolm Tann and Robert Helenius before he crushed Lucas Browne.

Browne was no match for the 30-year-old and Whyte powered to victory with a brutal knockout in the sixth that left his opponent needing medical treatment.

A potential WBC eliminator with Luis Ortiz for the right to fight Deontay Wilder failed to materialise, as did an IBF bout with Kubrat Pulev — much to Whyte's annoyance.

In June the fight with Parker was confirmed, giving both men the chance to put themselves back in the conversation for a world title.

For Whyte there is the added incentive of facing Joshua again, but a battle of Britain will have to wait until Parker is dealt with.