The anticipated clash between Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce is off, according to a new report from TalkSport. Scheduled to headline a Queensberry Promotions card on April 5 in Manchester, the 12-round heavyweight showdown will no longer happen after Whyte pulled out because of an injury.
Queensberry still intend to keep Joyce on the card at Co-op Live Arena, with Filip Hrgovic now reportedly set as a replacement. While that might salvage the event for fans, it’s disappointing news for Whyte, who’s been trying to regain momentum after a tumultuous couple of years that saw a rematch with Anthony Joshua collapse due to a positive test. Since then, Whyte was cleared to fight and picked up wins over Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh.
As for Joyce, the 39-year-old “Juggernaut” is also looking to reverse his fortunes after back-to-back losses to Zhilei Zhang and a knockout defeat to Derek Chisora. Many were looking forward to seeing him test himself against Whyte’s rugged style. Instead, if Hrgovic does step in, Joyce will be hoping to make a statement and set up bigger matchups down the line.
Either way, the undercard bouts featuring Lawrence Okolie vs. Richard Riakporhe and David Adeleye vs. Jeamie Tshikeva are still expected to go on as planned - so Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena should still witness a solid night of fights.
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Image Credit: Sky Sports