British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte feels like he is being shafted these days by the powers that be, if recent indications of Anthony Joshua’s next opponent are accurate.

Joshua, the former heavyweight champion from London, is expected to return to the ring on April 1, most likely against Jermaine Franklin, a young American heavyweight from Saginaw, Michigan.

And that development has left the seemingly perpetually irascible Whyte beside himself.

Whyte, after all, defeated Franklin last year and was subsequently led to believe by his promoter, Eddie Hearn, that he would most likely fight Joshua next. Joshua and Whyte fought each other in 2015, with Whyte getting stopped in the seventh round.

Instead, Hearn has indicated that a rematch between Joshua and Whyte would not happen until the summer, meaning Joshua would need to get by Franklin first.

But in Whyte’s view, he does not see the logic in how the man he defeated gets to jump the line for a shot at Joshua, who has a long term deal with DAZN, the sports streaming service.

“I am all right but facing the usual bollocks,” Whyte told The Sun. “I just want to make some fights but it’s f---ing frustrating. Everyone was told, all the boxing fans, the winner of me and Franklin fights AJ, so this is a f---ed up thing.

“I would have been better off losing the Franklin fight and getting the AJ fight!”

Whyte also simply cannot wrap his around the notion that DAZN would greenlight a fight involving an American fighter with "low-profile."

“I know DAZN need content for their subscribers but why choose to fight a low-profile American coming off a loss instead of having a massive British tear-up?” added Whyte. “It’s no surprise to me that they have chosen April 1 for this battle of the fools. I faced Franklin, the most dangerous and undefeated version of him, and beat him.”

Many, however, believe that Whyte’s tussle with Franklin was close enough it could have been ruled a draw.

In the end, Whyte believes Joshua is simply being protected.

“It’s protecting AJ because they all know if he loses again he will probably jack it in and a lot of people will be left with limp d---s in their hands,” Whyte said.