Povetkin vs Whyte winner will not receive mandatory challenger status

The rematch of Alexander Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) with Dillian White (27-2, 18 KOs), which is slated for March 27, will be for the interim WBC heavyweight title, but the winner of this meeting will not be appointed as an official contender for a full-fledged championship belt belonging to Tyson Fury.

“Now there is a pandemic, things are going a little slower. Some people are unable to return to the ring for a year for various reasons. We are not going to oblige or force anything. We will wait with decisions on this matter,” Mauricio Sulaiman, President of the World Boxing Council, commented on his decision.

“At the moment there is no official contender in the heavyweight division. We will wait for the outcome of the Whyte vs Povetkin battle, and see what plans Deontay Wilder has and when Fury's duel with Anthony Joshua will take place. We will try to make sure that our decision contributes to the fans getting the best fights,” Sulaiman said.

The duel of the Englishman and the Russian will be the main event of the evening organized in Gibraltar. Their first fight took place in August in London. Povetkin spectacularly knocked out Whyte, despite the fact that he had twice been on the floor before.