Anthony Joshua has agreed to remove a rematch clause from his contract to face Dillian Whyte in a bid to secure a fight with his rival.
Whyte was the frontrunner to serve as Joshua's opponent on August 12 at The O2 arena, but talks of the domestic clash fizzled when Whyte revealed he hadn't spoken with Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn in a month. Whyte was refusing to sign a contract for the fight unless a rematch clause was removed and Hearn has now confirmed they have revised their offer.
"The great news is now they have a contract with no rematch clause for August 12," Hearn told Boxing Social. "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.
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"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."
Joshua and Whyte first met in the amateur ranks over a decade ago, with 'The Body Snatcher' winning a decision against his rival. 'AJ' avenged the defeat by knocking out Whyte to win the British heavyweight title in their professional rematch as both men were unbeaten at the time of the fight.
Hearn defended their decision to initially put a rematch clause in Whyte's contract as Joshua is expected to face Deontay Wilder at the end of the year in Saudi Arabia. "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," he added.
"AJ is about to fight Wilder for $50 or $60million 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."
