Eddie Hearn, who promotes both the heavyweights is managing the negotiations for a rematch between bitter rivals Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. The rivalry goes back to 2015 bout when Joshua bested Whyte and won by knockout. Anthony Joshua was beaten by Dillian Whyte as an amateur for which the former got revenge in the pro ranks.
Initially Whyte denounced the offer to fight Anthony Joshua again on April 13 at Wembley and has been in contact with Hearn to weigh up his options as a free agent.
The proposal is now improved as Hearn said: “We’ve had a great run with Dillian Whyte. He wants a shot at the world heavyweight title. We’ve delivered that – he doesn’t feel like the package is right at the moment. Now I think it is a good offer.”
He further added: “I think also, it’s a shot at the world heavyweight title, he’s built himself to number one in the division, he’s not a mandatory challenger, Anthony Joshua is giving him a shot at the title for multi-millions of pounds.
“There’s probably still some negotiations to do, but it also comes down to how much value you put on a shot at the world heavyweight title?
“These kind of opportunities don’t come around that often for a fighter. It’s a chance to fight Anthony Joshua in front of 100,000 people at Wembley for the world heavyweight titles.
“You’re going to own the keys to the kingdom if you can beat Anthony Joshua.”
It is a tricky situation as Whyte might want to wait until he becomes Joshua’s WBO mandatory challenger for a lucrative financial deal. He is currently number one in the WBO rankings and news are circulating that he will be called for AJ’s next defense in September/October, offering him a chance to a 70/30 percentage split.
On the other hand Hearn has warned Whyte not to gamble on governing body’s decision as there is a chance that cruiserweight ‘super champion’ Oleksandr Usyk is granted this mandatory position.
Hearn Said: “Under the WBO rules, Usyk, once he steps up – if he steps up – should become that automatic mandatory,”
He further continued, “I was with the WBO last week in Puerto Rico.
“Dillian is number one. That won’t be called for another month or so, and it’s not due until September/October, but Dillian is in the running to be that mandatory.
“But if you turn down a shot at the world heavyweight title, these don’t come around very often.
“I want to make sure that deal is good enough for him to accept, but I also want him to take it, because this is it. This is the world heavyweight championship.
“You’ve got a chance to fight for it, in your own country, to become the king of the division.”
