The contest in May will form a sequence of heavyweight battles over the next three months that will shape the division
Dillian Whyte will make the first defence of his World Boxing Council Interim heavyweight world title against Alexander Povetkin at Manchester Arena on Saturday May 2, it was announced on Tuesday by the promoter Eddie Hearn.
The contest between the WBC’s No 10 ranked fighter from Russia and the Brixton man will form a sequence of heavyweight battles over the next three months that will shape the division. Rising stars Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce meet in London on April 11, Anthony Joshua defends his three world titles against Kubrat Pulev on June 20, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and then Tyson Fury meets Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight in Las Vegas on July 18 defending the WBC crown.
Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) landed the WBC interim title with a unanimous decision win over Oscar Rivas in an exciting battle at The O2 in London in July 2019 before travelling to Saudi Arabia in December where he outpointed former world title challenger Mariusz Wach on the Ruiz-Joshua 2 undercard.
Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs), an Olympic gold medallist and former World Boxing Association champion, proved that he still has what it takes to be a force in the heavyweight division in 2019 with a victory over Hughie Fury in August and a split decision draw with rising heavyweight contender Michael Hunter in an all-out war in Diriyah.
“This is a great fight, Povetkin is an Olympic gold medallist, has loads of experience, he’s a former world champion and he’s only lost to Joshua and Klitschko,” said Whyte. “He is still very dangerous, he gave Joshua a lot of problems and then beat Hughie Fury. I am not overlooking him at all, he will come in shape, he’s tough and very well-schooled”.
“I want to be heavyweight champion of the world so anywhere in the world is my lion’s den,” said the Londoner. “If you aspire to be world champion, you should be able to fight anywhere. Manchester is a great city with great fight fans and I’m looking forward to going back there.”
“This is a heavyweight thriller and so important to the landscape of the division,” said Hearn. “Dillian Whyte sits as mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury and while the wait is frustrating, Dillian continues to take high risk fights and that’s why he is such a fans’ favourite.”