Dillian Whyte out of heavyweight clash with Joe Joyce as search for replacement begins

The Britons were due to square off on 5 April, at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester

An injured Dillian Whyte is out of his fight with Joe Joyce, who is seeking a new opponent for 5 April.

Whyte vs Joyce was due to headline at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, as part of Queensberry Promotions’ first fight card on DAZN. However, Whyte has now pulled out of the all-British heavyweight bout, with Queensberry citing a hand injury as the reason for his withdrawal.

The news was first reported by Talksport and confirmed by The Independent, before Queensberry released a statement, saying a search is under way for Whyte’s replacement.

If Joyce is still able to box on 5 April, the Olympic silver medalist will look to bounce back from a decision loss to Derek Chisora last July. Joyce, 39, was in fact due to box Patrick Korte on 1 March before taking on Whyte, but that bout was also cancelled.

Against Joyce, Whyte would have sought a fourth straight win since his failed WBC challenge against Tyson Fury in 2022.

Whyte, 36, saw a rematch with Anthony Joshua collapse in 2023 due to a failed drug test – the second of his career – but an investigation deemed it the result of a tainted supplement, and he was cleared to box again in March 2024. He has won his two fights since, stopping Christian Hammer 12 months ago and Ebenezer Tetteh in December.

Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce go face to face with Frank Warren in the background (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Currently, the scheduled co-main event on 5 April will pit Lawrence Okolie against Richard Riakhporhe. The latter follows his fellow Briton up to heavyweight, with both men having made their names at cruiserweight.

Also at Co-op Live that night, 2024 Olympian Delicious Orie is due to make his professional debut, also in the heavyweight division.