Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte Rematch Likely After Frank Warren Confirmation

After a successful 2024 with two straight victories, the June 7 event at Portman Road Football Ground in Ipswich was supposed to be Dillian Whyte‘s statement for the top heavyweight spot. However, just days before the event, The Body Snatcher withdrew from the bout, leaving everyone scratching their heads.

However, there is no need to worry, as promoter Frank Warren provided an encouraging update on Whyte’s situation. The Queensberry head honcho teased a blockbuster fight for the 37-year-old that somehow matches up with the major plans Eddie Hearn has been hinting at for Whyte’s old rival, Anthony Joshua.

Recently, Warren sat down with BoxNation to discuss Dillian Whyte’s situation. The promoter clarified that the Jamaican-British boxer has dropped out of Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni’s card for a bigger opportunity. “He’s not going to be on the card now because he has had the opportunity of a big fight,” he stated. He teased a potential August date for the blockbuster bout, claiming things are happening behind the scenes.

“We are looking at the moment to get that over the line. It is a big fight for him…,” Warren revealed. The 73-year-old further clarified that things are happening according to the former WBC interim heavyweight champion’s desire. “He wants a bigger fight than he would have got at Ipswich,” Warren concluded.

Whyte had already pulled out of his April clash against Joe Joyce in April. So, this tactical withdrawal might be for something far bigger. However, how do Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua come into this narrative? Let’s find out.

Football Eddie Hearn’s blockbuster deal for Anthony Joshua

In a recent chat with BoxingScene, the Matchroom head honcho clarified that he is working on a two-fight Riyadh Season deal for Anthony Joshua. AJ’s last two fights, a second-round knockout win over Francis Ngannou and a fifth-round knockout loss at the hands of the IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, both came under the Riyadh Season banner. So, no matter the result, those fights have been profitable for AJ. So, finding another deal there makes sense.

“We want to box sometime this year, October, November, December,” Hearn clarified. However, he wants to wait for the result of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois before finalizing anything. Hearn is also closely following Tyson Fury‘s movement as rumors of the latter coming out of retirement are rampant. However, if that doesn’t happen, he has other options.

“We’ll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we’ll see what happens with Fury. If we don’t fight those guys [Dubois, Usyk, or Fury], we’ll fight, and then maybe we’ll follow one of those guys next year,” Hearn said, and those options include Dillian Whyte and Jared Anderson. “Two guys that have been discussed, but nothing concrete,” Hearn concluded.

With Warren targeting an August bout for Whyte and AJ and Hearn looking at November-December dates, the timeline doesn’t match. However, when boxing promoters stick to their given timeline and the timings of statements seem far too convenient to be a coincidence. Additionally, The Body Snatcher will have no problem biding his time until November to settle the score for his 2015 loss to Anthony Joshua.

That being said, August is right around the corner, and if we don’t see Dillian Whyte on any August card, we’ll know for sure what is cooking. What do you conclude from these statements? A possible Dillian Whyte-Anthony Joshua fight, or is it all just a coincidence? Let us know your thoughts down below.