JOE JOYCE has been left searching for a new opponent after Dillian Whyte pulled out of their scheduled showdown with an injury.
The pair were supposed to lock horns on April 5, headlining Queensberry Promotion’s first show on DAZN at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
However, after suffering an inflamed finger during his training camp, Whyte, 31-3 (21 KOs), has now been forced to withdraw from their heavyweight dustup.
The former world title challenger comes off a stoppage victory over Ebenezer Tetteh, revealing several signs of fatigue before producing a seventh-round finish last December.
His win is one of three that arrived after a devastating sixth-round stoppage defeat to Tyson Fury back in 2022, though the 36-year-old’s new-found momentum has now seemingly been derailed.
Joyce, 16-3 (14 KOs), meanwhile, was set to return last Saturday following his unanimous decision defeat to Derek Chisora in July of 2024.
The Olympic silver medallist’s clash with Patrick Korte, however, was then removed from the Ryan Garner vs Salvador Jimenez card during fight week.
And so, with his opportunity to dust off the cobwebs in Bournemouth, England, being taken away, so too has his more lucrative battle against Whyte.
As of now, there has been no confirmation as to whether the card will still go ahead, though it would appear that, according to talkSPORT, Joyce is nonetheless looking for a replacement opponent, with Jermaine Franklin being mentioned as a potential option.
Lawrence Okolie vs Richard Riakporhe and David Adeleye vs Jeamie Tshikeva are among the matchups scheduled for April 5, with the Queensberry show promising to deliver a thrilling night of heavyweight action.
