Negotiations between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte seemed to reach a stalemate this week when Whyte was unhappy with a contractual rematch clause for his opponent.
The Brixton heavyweight – who previously lost to ‘AJ’ in 2015 via knockout for the British title – said that being forced into a second fight should he win was not the path he wanted his career to take.
As per Sky Sports, Joshua’s side have heard the complaints and agreed to remove the term from the contract, leaving it as a standalone bout that will see the winner progress.
It’s well known that Joshua is targetting a big fight with fellow-former champion, Deontay Wilder, in December if he wins, and Whyte believes a victory should see him get that opportunity instead.
There were other sticking points for Whyte, but none so big as the rematch, meaning the concession from Joshua’s team is a major step in making it official.
The fight is set for London’s O2 Arena on August 12, and is generally regarded as a good step for both men given their current standings in the division.
Joshua lost the unified belts he spent years picking up and defending to Oleksandr Usyk. After failing to win them back in the rematch, he switched trainers for a second time and is doing all he can to have one final spell at the pinnacle of the sport.
As for Whyte, years of campaigning for a title shot cruelly culminated in a knockout loss to Tyson Fury. Both are now in build back mode and each have a recent victory over Jermaine Franklin.
With talks now progressing yet again, official news is expected imminently.
