Whyte, 38, has not boxed since he was stopped by Moses Itauma 119 seconds into their August clash at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It had been suggested that “The Bodysnatcher” might retire after such a conclusive defeat, but the longtime heavyweight contender insists he is going nowhere yet.

“I feel like I’ve got a little bit more left to give, so let’s see what we can do to finish on a high,” Whyte told The Ring. “I’m training now and I want to be back in May or June. Now it’s just a case of training and seeing what comes up for that sort of date.”

London’s Whyte (31-4, 21 KOs) had been in discussions to face rival Derek Chisora in a trilogy fight in Manchester on December 13, but the contracts were never signed. Instead, Chisora (36-14, 23 KOs) opted to face former WBC champ Deontay Wilder in the 50th fight of his career, a split-decision defeat April 4 at O2 Arena in London, and then headed into retirement.

Now Whyte has set his sights on a clash with New Zealand’s Parker (36-4, 24 KOs), a former WBO champ who he beat on points at London’s 02 Arena in July 2018.

Parker is currently battling to clear his name after testing positive for a metabolite of cocaine during a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test on the day of his defeat to Fabio Wardley in October.

He ran into Whyte during his recent visit to London, where he was part of Tyson Fury’s team for his victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Both Parker and Whyte agreed to fight each other, shook hands and took a selfie before going their separate ways.

“There are a lot of good fights,” Whyte said, “and Joseph Parker is one of them. I’d love to get it on with Joseph Parker, I think that’s a really good fight. He needs to come back, he needs to get cleared or whatever, I don’t know the situation. So, in the meantime I need to stay busy and have a comeback fight as well, so let’s see.”

Whyte, a former world title challenger, was blown away by Itauma, who was just 20 at the time. Although the older man hinted that some injuries hindered him on the night, he labeled the rising star from Chatham as “special.”

“It is what it is,” Whyte said. “Sometimes it doesn’t go well, but I’m not going to make excuses about it. I got caught early, that’s what happens in boxing. I’m sure people came to their own conclusion on it, that I wasn’t right on the night, but that’s how it went. I gave my word, so I’m going to show up and fight. That’s it, now we move on. There were a couple of things going on, but the other guy won, so I don’t want to be someone who tries to take something away from the opponent. Everybody who saw the fight knows I wasn’t my normal self. But now it’s about looking to the future.

“Itauma is a good fighter, young, hungry, he’s coming on with every fight and he’s doing the right things. They’re managing him properly and building him in the right way. He’s going to be something special in the future. There’s already something special there, but I think the more they develop him like this, the more special he will become.”