Dillian Whyte has come out verbally swinging, after his heavyweight rival, Anthony Joshua, had claimed that he presented him with an offer to collide in a rematch on June 1, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Joshua was scheduled to face Jarrell Miller on the June date, but he was removed from the contest after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs on three occasions.
Joshua will now defend his IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO world titles against once-beaten Andy Ruiz.
Joshua, in a recent interview, claimed that he made lucrative offers to numerous other fighters - like Whyte, Luis Ortiz, and others - but they all priced themselves out.
According to Whyte, he reached out to promoter Eddie Hearn, and advised him that he was very interested in replacing Miller in the fight.
Whyte states that he never received an offer of any kind and there was radio silence when it came to his request to step in for Miller.
"Anthony Joshua recently claimed that he has made offers to just about every heavyweight going this year, including myself. I can say right now – on my left hand – AJ and Eddie Hearn did not make me an offer for the fight in New York after Jarrell Miller’s failed drugs tests. It was me that offered to step in and take the fight," Whyte told Talk Sport.
"AJ had been in ten weeks of VADA testing, I had already been training for five weeks, so I said I’ve got enough time to get myself ready and I’ll take the shot.
"I don’t understand why they would not tell the truth. There was a phone call with Eddie where I said I would jump in and he couldn’t have changed the subject quicker. He didn’t want to know.
"I don’t care what anyone says, no offers have been made to me. Joshua has got my number, he can contact me on Instagram, on Twitter if he likes – I’m a very easy man for him to reach."
Whyte will instead face undefeated Oscar Rivas on July 13th at the O2 Arena in London. There is a possibility of the fight becoming a WBC final eliminator.
