Dillian Whyte has pulled out of his scheduled Saturday night comeback fight at Portman Road to focus on securing a summer showdown with Lawrence Okolie. The heavyweight boxer was set to appear on the undercard of Fabio Wardley's clash with Justis Huni but has now withdrawn to pursue what appears to be a more lucrative opportunity.
"He's not going to be on the card now," explained promoter Frank Warren. "He's had an opportunity for a big big fight in August and we're looking to get that over the line. That's going to take priority."
This withdrawal marks another chapter in Whyte's stop-start recent career. The 37-year-old hasn't competed on English soil since November 2022, with his boxing schedule repeatedly disrupted by various circumstances.
Just months ago, Whyte was scheduled to face Joe Joyce in Manchester on April 5 but withdrew citing a finger injury. Joyce subsequently lost to stand-in opponent Filip Hrgovic, effectively ending any possibility of reviving that particular rivalry.
Instead, Whyte has sparked a heated war of words with Okolie. The verbal battle has already turned ugly, with Okolie labeling Whyte a coward for allegedly avoiding him, while Whyte responded with crude insults toward the former Olympic boxer.
According to analytics from Statbet, heavyweight bouts following intense rivalries like this typically generate significantly more viewer interest than standard comeback fights.
Whyte's career has been plagued by inactivity in recent years. A planned rematch with Anthony Joshua last August was canceled after Whyte failed a doping test. Since then, he's fought in Gibraltar and Ireland, securing wins that many observers considered underwhelming.
Interestingly, Whyte himself recently acknowledged how harmful his inactivity has been, telling Ring Magazine: "Look, inactivity has basically killed my career in the last three years."
Meanwhile, Okolie appears eager to make his mark in the heavyweight division after losing his WBO cruiserweight world title to Chris Billam-Smith in May 2023. At 32, the former McDonald's worker is looking for a marquee heavyweight scalp to establish himself in boxing's premier weight class.
Will this grudge match actually materialize in August? Boxing fans have learned to temper their expectations when it comes to Whyte's scheduled appearances, but this developing rivalry with Okolie certainly adds some spice to the heavyweight landscape.
