Alexander Povetkin to confirm whether he can face Dillian Whyte in a January rematch after the Russian heavyweight was ruled out of a November fight due to Covid-19
Tuesday 1 December 2020 11:47, UK
Alexander Povetkin is gradually returning to training after recovering from Covid-19, but is set to make a decision about the date of his rematch with Dillian Whyte.
The Russian heavyweight was forced to withdraw from a second fight against Whyte on November 22, with promoter Eddie Hearn hoping to reschedule the rematch in January.
Povetkin's promoter Andrey Ryabinskiy has revealed that Povetkin is regaining his fitness, but is awaiting confirmation on whether the former WBA champion can face Whyte early next year.
Ryabinskiy released a statement on social media which read: "Sasha is feeling well and is slowly entering the training process, but not at full capacity.
"Soon we will have to decide whether the fight with Whyte will take place at the end of January, the question is whether we will meet these deadlines with the preparation."
Whyte had previously questioned the cause of the delay, telling Sky Sports: "I personally don't think he's got Covid.
"I think he just needed more time to get ready, because he took a lot of damage in the first fight.
"After the first fight, he took a lot of time off. Even though I got stopped, I went straight back to training and I got straight back on it."
Ryabinskiy had responded by saying: "The facts are simple - Sasha got coronavirus, and we were forced to postpone the fight.
"This can happen to any athlete. Sasha was in the hospital, we have all the documents at hand. If Eddie Hearn has any question of this kind, I am ready to submit all these documents."
Whyte will attempt to force himself back into contention for a WBC title fight by avenging his knockout loss to Povetkin in August.
