The two Brits were set to go toe-to-toe on April 5 in Manchester. However, just weeks ahead of their much-awaited clash, 'The Body Snatcher' has had to pull out due an inflamed finger.
The Sun reports that despite this setback, Joyce remains on the card, which will also feature a thrilling encounter between Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe. Leaving promoters now scrambling to secure a last-minute replacement.
A source disclosed to the newspaper as cited by Sports Central: "It's gutting for Joe. 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, so Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller, the Daniel Dubois rematch, Joe will take on anyone."
Whyte's return to the UK ring after nearly three years away was highly anticipated. His last domestic fight was against Jermaine Franklin in November 2022, and he was slated to have a rematch with Anthony Joshua at The O2 arena in 2023, but an "adverse analytical finding" from a pre-fight drug test on Whyte's part put a stop to the fight.
However, an investigation last year confirmed that the positive drugs test was due to a contaminated supplement. The 36-year-old made a triumphant return to the ring in March, defeating Christian Hammer.
His most recent victory came in December when he defeated Ebenezer Tetteh in Gibraltar. Meanwhile, Joyce, 39, had been enjoying a successful streak and made his mark on the world stage in 2022 after knocking out Joseph Parker in Manchester.
However, he then suffered two painful defeats to Zhilei Zhang in 2023. Despite this, the 'Juggernaut' returned with a win against Kash Ali last March.
This victory seemingly set him up for a thrilling showdown with Derek Chisora at The O2. He was eventually taken the distance by 'Del Boy', suffering a unanimous decision defeat in London last July.
Joyce was hoping to rebuild his career against Whyte following several setbacks over the past few years.
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