Dillian Whyte has been forced to pull out of next month's fight against Joe Joyce.
According to The Sun, the 36-year-old has suffered a finger injury to leave Joyce scrambling for a late replacement for the April 5 fight.
Whyte and Joyce were set to headline a stacked Queenberry Promotions card at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester in one month's time.
But now Joyce must find a replacement to top a bill which will also feature a showdown between Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe.
"It’s gutting for Joe," a source is quoted as saying by The Sun. “He has trained - as usual - incredibly hard for this and Dillian was an ideal opponent.
“If there is one thing British boxing fans know about Joe, it’s that he will fight anyone and, thankfully, there are lots of good heavyweights out there.
“Joe has no interest in dropping below world level - Joe will take on anyone.”
The fight was due to be Whyte’s first in the United Kingdom since 2022, when he beat Jermaine Franklin. A 2023 fight with Anthony Joshua was shelved after an “adverse analytical finding” emerged during a pre-fight drugs test, though the subsequent investigation proved no wrongdoing.
‘The Body Snatcher’ last fought in December, beating Ebenezer Tetteh in Gibraltar.
Joyce now needs a new opponent as he looks to continue his comeback after back-to-back defeats to Zhilei Zhang during 2023. The ‘Juggernaut’ beat Kash Ali last March before losing on points to Derek Chisora four months later.
