The speculated fight between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte has reportedly reached a deadlock, News About Nigeria reports.
“Joshua had earlier reached an agreement to engage Whyte in a bout on August 2, before the big one with Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia in December,” revealed Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn in a recent interview with DAZN.
However, Hearn stated that Whyte’s financial demands for the match are proving to be excessive. The initial plan for a rematch of their 2015 encounter, which Joshua won by seventh-round knockout, may no longer be feasible due to Whyte’s demands.
Hearn also disclosed that Joshua is still pushing for August 12 as the date for his next fight but is now considering 15 other top heavyweight opponents.
“I don’t think it will be Dillian Whyte,” Hearn expressed, highlighting the challenges of negotiating money and finding a middle ground.
“Obviously [Whyte] has his perceived value in that fight, we have the number that we think is right, obviously AJ wants to get paid. It’s very difficult. I just don’t think financially, being completely honest, we can reach a deal with Dillian Whyte for that fight.”
Meanwhile, Hearn expressed confidence in Joshua’s December clash with Wilder in Saudi Arabia, citing his previous collaboration with Prince Khalid for Joshua’s bout against Andy Ruiz Jr.
“When Prince Khalid and those guys tell me it’s done, it’s happening, I believe them,” Hearn stated.
“I didn’t believe them at first for the Andy Ruiz fight [2019], but I quickly realized that these guys are real. We hope to get, contractually, everything signed off in the next one-to-two weeks.”
