Anthony Joshua has reportedly agreed to remove the rematch clause from his contract in order to secure a fight with his rival Dillian Whyte. Initially, Whyte was the frontrunner to face Joshua on August 12 at The O2 arena, but talks for the highly anticipated domestic clash hit a snag when it was revealed that Whyte hadn't spoken with Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn in a month.
Whyte insisted on the removal of the rematch clause before signing the contract for the fight. Hearn has now confirmed that they have revised their offer accordingly.
Hearn told Boxing Social (via the Mirror): "The great news is now they have a contract with no rematch clause for August 12. There is absolutely nothing in the contract of any regard that is going to cause any problems, let's see.
"I don't think they are going to sign it but I hope they do. AJ wants this fight bad. It's the fight he wants but we want to announce it on Saturday, so we've got 48 hours.
"I don't want to put deadlines to start rattling people but the deadline is on us to announce the fight and other opponents who we've got ready to go. I know Dillian loves a big fight and it's here for him, so hopefully he signs."
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Joshua and Whyte have a history dating back to their amateur days over a decade ago. Whyte defeated Joshua then, but AJ avenged the loss in their professional rematch, knocking out Whyte to win the British heavyweight title. Both fighters were unbeaten at the time of their professional clash.
Hearn defended the inclusion of the rematch clause in Whyte's initial contract, citing Joshua's upcoming fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia at the end of the year. He stated: "When there is such a huge A-side in the fight, you have to do your job as a promoter. Firstly, any huge name I have worked with in boxing has a rematch clause.
"Secondly, it was me that requested that. AJ is about to fight Wilder for £50 or £60 million, and he is choosing to take a dangerous fight a few months before. If he loses, he is out in the wilderness and loses the Wilder fight in December. If we're giving that opportunity to someone else, of course, we are going to look for a rematch clause."
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