"Crushed My Finger" – Dillian Whyte Explains Why the Fight with Joyce Was Canceled

British heavyweight Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) has revealed the details of the injury that forced him to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs).

"I was in the gym, working with dumbbells. Everyone is supposed to put their equipment away, but someone left a dumbbell, and it rolled under a bench.

At that moment, I was finishing my set, and when I went to put my weights down, I accidentally crushed my finger between them and the one under the bench. It was literally smashed.

I had to get seven stitches to hold everything together because the cut was really deep—it went down to the bone and nerve. At first, they had to seal it, and then they stitched it up to prevent it from reopening. It’s also in a tricky spot that could easily tear open again.

Doctors told me I won’t be able to punch for three to four weeks because of the cut. I can't bend my finger at all—every time I try, the wound opens up again, so I can't even make a fist. I try to move it, but it just won’t bend.

I can't feel the tip of my finger. There’s still sensation below the cut, but above it, nothing. I don’t know if the feeling will come back once it heals or if it’s gone forever," Whyte said.