Joe Joyce will now face the dangerous Filip Hrgovic on April 5th in a heavyweight boxing match.
The 39-year-old from Putney was originally scheduled to fight Dillian Whyte in Manchester.
Joe Joyce will have an opponent for his heavyweight boxing clash Credit: Getty
Filip Hrgovic has been drafted in as a late replacement for Dillian Whyte Credit: Getty
It comes after Whyte withdrew from the fight with a finger injury Credit: Getty
However, the 36-year-old Brixton fighter withdrew on Tuesday due to a finger injury.
Joyce is looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Derek Chisora last summer and could have chosen an easier opponent for his return.
Instead, he will face Hrgovic, a respected Croatian boxer who performed well against Daniel Dubois in June, winning four of the early rounds before Dubois secured a stoppage victory in the eighth round.
A source close to Joyce, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist, stated, “It’s disappointing for Joe, as he trained incredibly hard for this fight and Dillian was a great matchup.”
“If there’s one thing boxing fans know about Joe, it’s that he’s willing to fight anyone.”
“Joe isn’t interested in fighting below the top level, and facing Filip Hrgovic, who has an 18-1 record and only lost to world champion Dubois, proves that once again.”
This fight is a rematch of their 2013 amateur bout at York Hall in London, which Joyce won by split decision.
The 6ft 6in boxer, who previously competed in rugby and diving, cannot afford another setback after two losses to Zhilei Zhang in 2023 and the defeat against Chisora in July.
Whyte needed a significant opponent after his last major fight was cancelled due to a failed drug test.
“The Body Snatcher” was set for a lucrative rematch with Anthony Joshua at a sold-out O2 Arena in August 2023.
However, he failed a VADA test, and the fight was cancelled just before fight week, with Robert Helenius stepping in as a replacement.
Whyte returned to the ring with a non-televised fight in Ireland last March and then fought Ebenezer Tetteh in Malta in December.
