Eddie Hearn says contract will be sent for huge Anthony Joshua heavyweight grudge fight

Could a summer showdown between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte be a step closer?  

It appears that way as Eddie Hearn has confirmed that he will be sending a contract to the Brixton man that will potentially set up a huge rematch that has been eight years in the making. 

At the backend of 2015, Joshua gained revenge on Whyte from their amateur days by defeating his domestic rival to capture the British title.  

The win set up ‘AJ’ to push on and win a world title fight in his next meeting, but the situation is different ahead of a second professional meeting. 

Joshua is looking to rebuild his career following two consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, and a win over Whyte could open the door to a lucrative clash with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury. 

Whyte, who was knocked out by Tyson Fury last year, is also looking to reestablish himself amongst the heavyweight title scene and success against his old rival could be the way to prove he’s ready for another world title shot. 

Hearn, the man who promoted the first Joshua vs. Whyte clash, has provided a big update on where the current situation stands with both men. 

“We made an offer to Dillian Whyte four or five weeks ago and they came back, and the exact wording was ‘absolutely not, this is unacceptably low’ and basically nowhere near a number that they’d accept,” said Hearn to Boxing Social. 

“Now they come out today out of the blue and say, ‘we accept that offer,’ right when we’re about to announce or are in final negotiations with another opponent. 

“We went straight back to Dillian and said, ‘can you confirm that you accept that offer’ and they said ‘yes, we do’ and I said ‘fantastic,’ so we’re getting them a contract. 

“They’ll have a contract today, we need to move at pace but if they’re serious that fight can 100 per cent happen. 

“It’s still the fight that AJ wants for August 12th so again, if Dillian is serious, that fight is going to happen.”