Joe Joyce vs Filip Hrgovic LIVE: UK start time, undercard and how to follow as Juggernaut finds Dillian Whyte replacement
Dillian Whyte has pulled out of his fight with Joe Joyce as Juggernaut will instead face replacement opponent Filip Hrgovic next month. The all-British heavyweight bout was due to top the card in Manchester before the Body Snatcher withdrew from the event. Whyte and Joyce were due to produce some fireworksGetty As first reported by talkSPORT.com, Whyte was forced to withdraw after suffering an injury to his finger. Since his defeat to Tyson Fury in April 2022, Whyte has put together three consecutive wins, seeing off Ebenezer Tetteh last time around. However, his injury has now cost the 36-year-old the biggest bout of his career since losing to the Gypsy King. Meanwhile, Hrgovic has been drafted in as a replacement opponent for Joyce as the Juggernaut bids to rebuild after losing three of his last four professional fights. Damaging losses to Zhilei Zhang and Derek Chisora have left the 39-year-old’s hopes of making it to a world title fight hanging by a thread. Croatian Hrgovic suffered a first career defeat in 18 bouts against Daniel Dubois in June but lost to Joyce when they were amateurs in 2013. “It’s a tough fight for both of them,” promoter Frank Warren told Ring Magazine. “It’s exactly the same fight Joe had against Dillian. “The winner goes on and the loser is going to have to think about what he does.” Elsewhere on the card, Richard Riakporhe takes on Lawrence Okolie, while Team GB’s Delicious Orie will make his Queensbury debut. Dubois stopped Hrgovic in an impressive performance last yearMark Robinson/Matchroom Joyce vs Hrgovic: Date and how to follow This 12-round heavyweight clash will take place on Saturday, April 5. It will be held at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester. Exact times for the ringwalks will follow in due course, but the main event should start at around 10:30pm. The event will be shown on DAZN after Queensbury struck a deal with the global streaming service. talkSPORT will be right across the build-up and will have updates throughout. To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM. Hrgovic claimed bronze at the 2016 Summer OlympicsGetty Images - Getty Joyce vs Hrgovic: Undercard Subject to change MAIN EVENT: Joe Joyce vs Filip Hrgovic Lawrence Okolie vs Richard Riakporhe David Adeleye vs Jeamie Tshikeva Delicious Orie vs TBC Whyte showed off the extent of his damage after pulling out of the Joyce fighttalkSPORT Why did Whyte withdraw? In an interview on talkSPORT Breakfast, Whyte showed a picture of his finger injury and gave a full update on when he will return and the treatment he is receiving. He said: “I was training as usual and there was a guy next to me in the gym and he dropped his weights and it rolled down. “As I put my weight down, I ended up catching his finger between his dumbbell and my dumbbell. “I still wanted to fight so I didn’t tell my team, I had a few days off with a chest infection. “But it cut right to the bone although I just thought I could get stitches and put it back in a glove again. “It’s cut down the first joint so it’s hard for me to bend it and I can’t clench my first properly.” GRAPHIC WARNING Whyte showed off his nasty gash for which he had stitches from a specialistDillian Whyte Whyte is now hoping to make a full recovery in the coming weeks and will look to reschedule a bout. He revealed: “I’m seeing the specialist later this week just to see. “I’m getting some feeling back, but I have been getting numbness in my finger. “But my movement is coming back, it is cut to the bone so it could be nerve damage but we will see.”
Dillian Whyte has pulled out of his fight with Joe Joyce as Juggernaut will instead face replacement opponent Filip Hrgovic next month.
The all-British heavyweight bout was due to top the card in Manchester before the Body Snatcher withdrew from the event.
As first reported by talkSPORT.com, Whyte was forced to withdraw after suffering an injury to his finger.
Since his defeat to Tyson Fury in April 2022, Whyte has put together three consecutive wins, seeing off Ebenezer Tetteh last time around.
However, his injury has now cost the 36-year-old the biggest bout of his career since losing to the Gypsy King.
Meanwhile, Hrgovic has been drafted in as a replacement opponent for Joyce as the Juggernaut bids to rebuild after losing three of his last four professional fights.
Damaging losses to Zhilei Zhang and Derek Chisora have left the 39-year-old’s hopes of making it to a world title fight hanging by a thread.
Croatian Hrgovic suffered a first career defeat in 18 bouts against Daniel Dubois in June but lost to Joyce when they were amateurs in 2013.
“It’s a tough fight for both of them,” promoter Frank Warren told Ring Magazine.
“It’s exactly the same fight Joe had against Dillian.
“The winner goes on and the loser is going to have to think about what he does.”
Elsewhere on the card, Richard Riakporhe takes on Lawrence Okolie, while Team GB’s Delicious Orie will make his Queensbury debut.
Joyce vs Hrgovic: Date and how to follow
This 12-round heavyweight clash will take place on Saturday, April 5.
It will be held at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester.
Exact times for the ringwalks will follow in due course, but the main event should start at around 10:30pm.
The event will be shown on DAZN after Queensbury struck a deal with the global streaming service.
talkSPORT will be right across the build-up and will have updates throughout.
To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
Joyce vs Hrgovic: Undercard
Subject to change
- MAIN EVENT: Joe Joyce vs Filip Hrgovic
- Lawrence Okolie vs Richard Riakporhe
- David Adeleye vs Jeamie Tshikeva
- Delicious Orie vs TBC
Why did Whyte withdraw?
In an interview on talkSPORT Breakfast, Whyte showed a picture of his finger injury and gave a full update on when he will return and the treatment he is receiving.
He said: “I was training as usual and there was a guy next to me in the gym and he dropped his weights and it rolled down.
“As I put my weight down, I ended up catching his finger between his dumbbell and my dumbbell.
“I still wanted to fight so I didn’t tell my team, I had a few days off with a chest infection.
“But it cut right to the bone although I just thought I could get stitches and put it back in a glove again.
“It’s cut down the first joint so it’s hard for me to bend it and I can’t clench my first properly.”
GRAPHIC WARNING
Whyte is now hoping to make a full recovery in the coming weeks and will look to reschedule a bout.
He revealed: “I’m seeing the specialist later this week just to see.
“I’m getting some feeling back, but I have been getting numbness in my finger.
“But my movement is coming back, it is cut to the bone so it could be nerve damage but we will see.”
