Eddie Hearn, promoter for former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, does not believe that he'll be capable of reaching the asking price of Dillian Whyte for a proposed rematch.

They initially met in 2015, with Joshua coming away with a knockout victory in seven rounds.

In 2019, the two boxers were in serious discussions to have a rematch. The talks fell apart, according to Hearn and Joshua, because Whyte was demanding too much money.

An identical scenario appears to be playing out in the present, with Hearn already pursuing alternative options for Joshua's next fight.

Joshua's return in August is a planned springboard for a potential showdown with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder on a December date in Saudi Arabia.

“So we spoke last night to [Whyte's] team and this morning," Hearn told IFL TV. "We made an offer, and they felt that offer was unacceptable. We may be too far out on the money to make that fight. We’re looking at two other opponents for August 12. The key for us, if we can’t make the Deontay Wilder fight it’s not that it has to be Dillian. AJ wants it, that’s the fight AJ wanted."

"If we’ve got the Wilder fight done, we can fight someone else from the top 15 on August 12. We still want a decent, proper fight to prepare yourself for Deontay Wilder. But if we can’t get the Wilder fight done, then we need a much bigger fight on August 12, or we look at Tyson Fury in September.

"But I believe, and Frank spoke to the guys at Skills Challenge last night, that we’re going to get that fight made with Wilder. “So once we do that August 12th, if we can’t make a Dillian Whyte fight, then we take someone else in the top 15. AJ’s desire is to fight Dillian Whyte."

While Joshua and Hearn would prefer to have Whyte in August, Hearn admits that time is running out to make that fight and he's not confident of reaching a financial agreement with Whyte.

“For me, I think if you’ve got Deontay Wilder locked in for December, fighting Dillian Whyte on August 12th is risky, bear in mind the amount of money you’re about to fight Deontay Wilder for, but he and Derrick James specifically requested Dillian Whyte. The issue is the money Dillian Whyte wants and the money AJ wants," Hearn said.

"The market is starting to change a little bit in general for boxing, and I don’t think we can get to the number that Dillian wants for that fight, in all honesty. I think Dillian wants to fight, and I think AJ wants to fight, but we may well run out of time."