Dillian Whyte has withdrawn from his scheduled Saturday night return to British boxing to secure a summer fight against Lawrence Okolie.
The Brixton native, known as the “Body Snatcher,” was set to have a warm-up bout at Portman Road this weekend against an opponent who was not named. This fight was planned for the undercard of Fabio Wardley, his protege from Ipswich, who is facing Justis Huni.
However, Whyte has removed himself from the event`s lineup to concentrate on resolving a rivalry with his new adversary.
The 37-year-old boxer was originally slated to fight Joe Joyce in Manchester on April 5 but pulled out because of a finger injury.
“Juggernaut” Joyce subsequently lost to Filip Hrgovic, who stepped in as his replacement, thereby ending any prospect of rekindling that particular rivalry.
Instead, Whyte has initiated a verbal conflict with Okolie, marked by unpleasant insults directed at the boxer who competed in the 2016 Olympics.
Okolie called Whyte a coward for not fighting him. Whyte retaliated by reportedly calling Okolie a “sub-human c***” and challenging the former McDonald`s employee to repeat the insults in person.
Promoter Frank Warren, for whom this is the second consecutive Whyte fight cancellation, commented: “He`s not going to be on the card now.
“He`s had an opportunity for a very significant fight in August, and we are working to finalize that.
“That will take priority.”
Whyte has not competed in a boxing match in England since November 2022.
A rematch against Anthony Joshua was planned for August 2023, a fight that would have sold out the O2 Arena, but it was cancelled after Whyte failed a doping test.
Since the cancellation of that lucrative bout, Whyte has fought in Gibraltar and Ireland, securing less impressive victories.
Whyte had previously stated firmly that his provisionally scheduled fight on June 7 would lead to a title shot, while also acknowledging that a lack of activity had significantly harmed his career.
He told Ring Magazine: “Look, inactivity has essentially halted my career progression over the past three years.
“I`m looking towards a major fight at the end of July or early August, and I simply felt I needed some ring time before heading into that.
“I realized I needed to become active again as soon as possible because I`m serious about making one final push and potentially competing for the world title.
“Therefore, I want to be in a position where, when that opportunity arrives, I`m not just participating, but I`m entering with a strong chance of victory due to having some momentum behind me.
“The only way to achieve that is by setting aside my pride and saying, `You know what, I`ll take this chance.` I`ve always approached my career that way.
“For instance, I fought Dereck Chisora as a co-main event on a major fight card, and then in my very next bout, I boxed Malcolm Tann in an eight-round contest held around 5 pm.
“So, this decision is about staying active to place myself in a better position to provide the fans with significant fights.”
Okolie, aged 32, lost his WBO cruiserweight world championship to Chris Billam-Smith in May 2023 and is currently seeking a notable victory in the heavyweight category.
