In a surprise announcement Dillian Whyte 23-1 (17) will face Joseph Parker 24-01(18) at O2 Arena in London, UK on July 28 live of Sky Sports Box Office.
Earlier this week former WBO heavyweight champion Parker was linked to a fight against American Bryant Jennings in August, while Whyte was being discussed as a potential dance partner for Cuba’s Luis Ortiz.
Both boxers have just a single loss on their respective records. In 2015 Whyte was stopped by current heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in seven rounds, while Parker lost his WBO title to Joshua by decision in March this year.
“There’s going to be blood, pain and a knockout. I’m bang up for this,” said Whyte to Sky Sports. “He’s a good fighter but he didn’t show much courage against Joshua, hopefully he’ll be a bit more adventurous and come to have a fight against me.
“I like challenges and I rise to them, this is a big fight and I’ll be training very hard as always. There’s a massive incentive there to try and stop him.
“We’re back at The O2, it’s always a great atmosphere inside the arena and I’ll be looking to get a similar result to my last fight there.”
Parker’s team have pursuing a quick path to heavyweight title contention and a victory over Brixton’s “Body Snatcher” will put the Kiwi in the box seat to fight for the world title again.
“We’ve both been in with AJ. One of us ended the fight on our feet, the other didn’t. That pretty much speaks for itself,” said Parker, the only fighter to take Joshua the full distance in his pro career.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting Dillian. He’s got a big mouth and says some funny things – and he’s also highly entertaining in the ring. It’ll be an incredible fight. There’s no doubt about that.
“I’m really happy with how things have things have worked out. I know it took a lot of hard work from my team to get this over the line.”
 will face Joseph Parker 24-01(18) at O2 Arena in London, UK on July 28 live of Sky Sports Box Office.){kind=link}