23 June 2023 , 15:30
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Dillian Whyte has blamed Eddie Hearn for the collapse of his Anthony Joshua rematch as he claimed the promoter hasn't spoken to him for a month.
Whyte was in talks to rematch Joshua eight years on from their 2015 fight that 'AJ' won by seventh-round knockout. The fight wasn't the first time the domestic rivals had met in the ring as Whyte beat Joshua in the amateur ranks, meaning their targeted fight on August 12 would have been the third meeting between the pair.
Hearn claimed Whyte turned down an offer for another fight against Joshua as it wasn't near his financial expectations. The Matchroom Boxing boss also admitted there wasn't much negotiation between the two teams before the fight collapsed and Whyte has now given his side of the story.
"The fight's just collapsed, there's been no communication on the fight," Whyte told talkSPORT. "It's just weird, it just never seemed real from the start. AJ's in a position of transition and they don't want him to have a serious fight, but they're trying to keep his name good and make it look like he's trying to have big fights.
"We've had one three-line email about the fight, no conversations at all. We've been trying to contact Eddie Hearn for one month, multiple phone calls and emails, they've just gone missing. I've never felt the fight was real, I've been negotiating with Eddie Hearn for years, I know when Eddie wants a fight, he calls you, he bugs you. I haven't spoken to Eddie Hearn for one month.
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Anthony Joshua beat Dillian Whyte in their last bout December 2015 (Getty Images)What are your thoughts on the rematch between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte falling through? Let us know in the comments section below
Joshua is pencilled-in to fight Deontay Wilder at the end of the year as the historic Saudi Arabia event could also feature an undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Whyte said he is still training to face Joshua despite the fight falling through and he slammed Hearn for not being transparent in their negotiations.
"They wanna use my name as a scapegoat to say, 'Oh, we tried to fight Dillian Whyte but we couldn't make it.' If they wanted to fight me, Eddie Hearn could've made the fight," Whyte added. "Why are you throwing my name around and doing a million interviews about fighting me when you're not actually negotiating the fight?"