Dillian Whyte’s reveals the extent of his injury, claiming he can’t feel his finger after crushing it between weights, cutting it down to the bone and damaging the nerve as Joe Joyce fight is called off
Dillian Whyte has been forced to pull out of his highly anticipated fight with Joe Joyce after suffering a serious finger injury in training. While initial reports suggested Whyte had withdrawn due to inflammation, the British heavyweight has revealed that the damage is far worse.
The injury occurred during a strength and conditioning session when Whyte’s finger was crushed between two weights, resulting in a deep laceration that went down to the bone and damaged the nerve. Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, he detailed how the freak accident happened.
‘I was in the gym working out, and everyone is meant to put their weights away. But someone didn’t, and their weight rolled under the bench. I was doing my weights at the time, and when I went to put my weights down, I crushed my finger between the dumbbell and the ones the other person left out. It literally just crushed it.’
Whyte required seven stitches to hold the wound together, with doctors also applying medical glue due to the severity of the injury. The heavyweight revealed just how serious the cut was.
‘I’ve had seven stitches just to help hold it in place because it’s really deep. It’s all the way down to the bone and to the nerve. They had to glue it closed and then add the stitches to sort of hold it in place. Also, the place it is in is difficult because it’s really easy for it to reopen.’
Medical professionals have told Whyte he won’t be able to punch for at least three to four weeks, with the fight against Joyce just five weeks away. Despite this, Whyte was eager to push ahead, confident he could beat Joyce even without a full training camp.
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW
Dillian Whyte has been forced to pull out of his highly anticipated fight with Joe Joyce
The pair where set to go toe-to-toe on April 5 before Whyte sustained the injury to his finger
‘They’re saying I can’t punch for three to four weeks. Definitely can’t punch three to four weeks because of where I’ve cut it on the joint. I can’t bend it at all. Any time I bend it, I reopen it, which means I can’t even make a fist if I wanted to. I’ve been trying to bend it, but I can’t.’
Determined to go ahead with the fight, Whyte planned to train around the injury and take his chances on fight night. However, doctors strongly advised against it, warning that rushing his recovery could risk long-term damage to his finger.
‘I would have just done the cardio and stuff leading up to the fight because I was excited. It’s a big fight, you know, and I don’t want to miss out on it. I was over the moon with the fight and ready to take on a good opponent. I would have knocked him out, and it would have been a good statement. I wouldn’t just walk away from that. Obviously, these things happen, but it’s really annoying.’
Whyte went on to explain how he has lost sensation in the top of his finger. ‘I am going to have to see what the specialist says. He is going to have another feel around but it is a bit of a worry.
‘I can’t feel the tip of my finger. I can feel below the cut but above the cut, I can’t feel. I don’t know if that is something that’s going to go with time once it heals or whether it will be like that forever.
Pictured above: the injury that has caused Whyte to pull of his fight with Joyce
‘I don’t know. I am just going to see the specialist, see what he has to say and then go from there. The thing is, I am mentally tough so I am going to return no matter what. Obviously the specialist has said we have to be careful with it as we don’t want it reopening because we could cause more damage to the nerve but yeah. I just have to wait and see’.
With Whyte forced to withdraw from the bout, it is expected that Joyce will seek a new opponent. However, Whyte remains eager to face The Juggernaut in the future once fully recovered.
This setback is undoubtedly frustrating for Whyte, who has been working hard to reaffirm his status as one of the top heavyweights in the division. The 35-year-old has consistently tested himself against the best, sharing the ring with elite names such as Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Alexander Povetkin.
Despite a loss to Fury in 2022, Whyte has since bounced back with back-to-back victories, most recently defeating Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh. The fight against Joyce was set to be another major step toward his goal of reclaiming a place at the top of the division.
Whyte had been eyeing high-profile matchups later this year, including a potential rematch with Joshua or a long-awaited clash with Deontay Wilder. While this injury may slightly delay those plans, his focus remains unwavering.
For now, his priority is recovery, but Whyte has made it clear that once he returns, he will be more determined than ever to prove he is still one of the most dangerous and exciting fighters in the heavyweight division.
