Dillian Whyte Withdraws from Joe Joyce Fight on April 5 Due to Injury

Manchester, UK - Dillian Whyte has been forced to withdraw from his April 5 heavyweight showdown with Joe Joyce due to injury, TalkSport reports. The 12-round bout was set to headline a Queensberry Promotions card at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, which also features Lawrence Okolie vs. Richard Riakporhe and David Adeleye vs. Jeamie Tshikeva.

Despite the setback, Joyce remains on the card, and Jermaine Franklin is reportedly under consideration as a replacement opponent.

Whyte, 36, has been working his way back into contention following the collapse of his 2023 rematch with Anthony Joshua, which was scrapped after Whyte tested positive for a banned substance. However, after facing no suspension from UKAD, he returned to action in 2023, scoring wins over Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh to improve his record to 31-3 (21 KOs).

Meanwhile, Joyce, 39, was looking to rebuild after suffering back-to-back defeats to Zhilei Zhang before a recent loss to Derek Chisora. While the search for a new opponent is ongoing, his comeback fight on April 5 will go ahead as planned—just not against Whyte.