Dillian Whyte announces comeback date and opponent but he's still chasing Anthony Joshua rematch

07/03/2024 21:30

Dillan Whyte's return to the ring is set for St Patrick's Day in the Republic of Ireland.

'The Body Snatcher' has been sidelined since failing a pre-fight drugs test before his proposed rematch with Anthony Joshua last August.

The fight was cancelled and Robert Helenius stepped in for Whyte on short notice to save the card – but he was knocked out cold in seven rounds.

Last week, the British fighter was cleared by the Texas Commission, who deemed a contaminated supplement caused his failed test.

Now, he's announced a comeback fight against heavyweight veteran Christian Hammer will take place at TF Royal Hotel & Theatre in Castlebar on March 17.

The 35-year-old joined talkSPORT drive on Thursday evening to discuss his difficult spell on the sidelines, which will come to an end in just ten days time.

"It's crazy," Whyte told Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent.

"It's stressful because when you have been deemed guilty when you know deep down you haven't done anything and you're not guilty and it's just a matter of going through the process.

"People say stuff about you, and you can't really say nothing because there's stuff going on. You've got to deal with it in silence and just take whatever is being said about you publicly.

"It's stressful, very, very stressful."

Hammer holds a high-profile win over David Price, but his 27-10 record is littered with losses to elite-level fighters like Tyson Fury, Joe Joyce, and Alexander Povetkin.

Whyte believes the Romanian-German, who he has trained with in the past, is the perfect comeback opponent and is capable of giving him a tough fight.

He added: “It's a good fight, Christian Hammer is a tough guy and he's fought a lot of guys. He's really tough, and also, we know he's going to press me as well.

“When you compete against someone you know, or a friend, or whatever it adds that little extra needle and extra spite. We ain't sparred but we trained at the same gym, and I know Christian well.

"I've been out for 16 or 17 months now, so it's a tough one to come back to."

Ultimately, Whyte wants to be fighting at a much higher level.

The goal is to rebook his rematch with Joshua, whom he famously beat in the amateurs before being knocked out when they clashed as pros in 2015.

"We have unfinished business," Whyte added about his rivalry with Joshua.

"I'll fight him in ten years.

“Even when I'm old and retired I'll still want to fight him."