Eddie Hearn in desperate scramble for Anthony Joshua opponent after Whyte FAILS drugs test as frontrunner emerges

ANTHONY JOSHUA could still fight next weekend – despite his rematch with Dillian Whyte falling through.

The Watford warrior’s second professional showdown with his long-time rival was axed a week before fight night due to a failed drug test for the Brixton bad boy.

REUTERS

Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Dillian Whyte fell through this weekend[/caption]

PA

A failed drug test for Whyte scuppered the eagerly-anticipated grudge match[/caption]

Whyte, 35, failed a voluntary drug test but the substance found in his system has yet to be revealed.

Matchroom Boxing are eager for their poster boy to stay active ahead of a Saudi showdown next year.

And SunSport understands they’re frantically trying to find a last-minute replacement for Whyte – whose career is well and truly up in the air following a third career-failed drug test.

American Gerald Washington is the current frontrunner to win the lucrative AJ sweepstakes.

And the tall and rangey Yank – who is currently slated to fight Brit Derek Chisora on the undercard – would be the perfect replacement.

The 41-year-old is perfectly capable of replicating The Bronze Bomber hard-hitting style as he’s part of his team.

Chisora is unlikely to be drafted in as he’s long-time pal of Joshua’s.

Joshua’s third showdown with Whyte – who he first locked horns with as a fresh-faced amateur in 2009 – was supposed to be a pay-per-view offering on DAZN.

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But it’s understood the international broadcaster will make it available to regular subscribers should AJ find a last-minute opponent.

Neither Joshua nor Whyte have commented on the collapse of their eagerly-anticipated rematch.

But AJ promoter Eddie Hearn has taken to Twitter twice since the news broke.

In response to a fan sharing a video of him dropping an F-bomb, the veteran prompter said: “This one made me smile.

“Time to go to work!”

Joshua, 33, returned to the win column in April with a scrappy points victory over Jermaine Franklin at The O2.

The win snapped a two-fight skid for the Brit, who was twice turned over by former pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk.

Whyte, meanwhile, eked out a controversially split decision win over Franklin last November.

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