The Dillian Whyte vs. Joe Joyce fight is no longer be happening.
They were scheduled to meet on a Queensberry Promotions event at Co-Op Live in Manchester on April 5, but with around a month to go until the showdown, disaster has struck.
Whyte has reportedly been forced from the contest due to an inflamed finger according to The Sun, meaning his first fight in the United Kingdom in over two years won’t be going ahead.
It has been a turbulent few years for Whyte since losing a WBC heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium in April 2022.
He returned with a close win over Jermaine Franklin six months later, and was then set to face Anthony Joshua in an all-British showdown in August 2023.
Just over a week out from the fight, Whyte failed a drugs test and was pulled from the bout, but has since returned with victories over Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh over the past 12 months.
Joyce has had a difficult couple of years too, having at one stage looking like a future heavyweight star after stoppage victories over both Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker.
Back-to-back knockout defeats to Zhilei Zhang in 2023 saw Joyce lose his WBO interim heavyweight title, and he was then beaten on points by Derek Chisora last July.
Despite the withdrawal of Whyte, it is believed that Joyce will remain on the card in April, with an opponent understood to currently be being searched for.
The card also features two other all-British heavyweight clashes, with Lawrence Okolie taking on Richard Riakporhe, and David Adeleye meeting Jeamie TKV.
