JOE JOYCE revealed he WILL step up to face Tyson Fury if Dillian Whyte pulls out of their mega-fight.
Whyte will finally get his crack at the WBC belt after well over 1,000 days of waiting.
Joe Joyce pictured with former sparring partner Tyson Fury
But a disagreement in the purse split led to the challenger boycotting any pre-fight build up.
Promoter Frank Warren – who paid £30.6million to stage the grudge match – then claimed to have a replacement opponent on standby.
Unbeaten Joyce, 36, a once sparring partner Fury’s, confirmed he would be willing to step in.
He told PunchingTV: “I’m the can man! I can step in and fight Fury if need be.
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“I’m relatively fit. Ideally I’d have a longer camp but I’m in a good place right now.”
Whyte, 34, appeared to put an no-show fears to bed when he broke his silence online.
He posted: “I’m ready. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on the 23rd of April.”
Whyte was only handed the minimal 20 per cent split of the purse, giving him just over a £6m payday.
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But as the interim title holder and pay-per-view attraction, he argued his split should have been higher.
Whyte explained his radio silence when attending a media conference call and claimed there are still disputes to be settled.
He said: “This is a business. It’s not the Tyson Fury show. Everybody saying Tyson Fury this, Tyson Fury that.
“This fight sold out because of me and Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury fought Wilder, he’s a big superstar.
“It’s not just the Tyson Fury show, it’s the Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte show so some things need to be done correctly.
“I don’t dance to nobody’s tune, I’m a warrior, we can dance together but it can’t be one-way traffic.
“I’m a disciplined guy and I’ve learned to be disciplined over the years. Okay, you want me to do things?
“That’s cool, I’m up for that, I’m a professional, I’ve had six or seven pay-per-view shows and worked hard on all of them and looked after my opponents and dealt with them correctly.
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“When these guys are trying to mug me off and treat me like it’s the Tyson Fury show, they’ve got to get certain things correct.
“I’m a professional at the end of the day, so here I am. I’m here and ready.”
