Dillian Whyte waive rematch clause - Usyk vs Povetkin instead?

Whyte lost the first three rounds, the first KD was flash, the only real success he had was the legit KD at the end of the 4th.

 

I saw this yesterday but I don't know how much truth there is to it. Hearn wants the rematch for November or December if not and I don't get the impression he's going to back down.

Russia’s recently crowned WBC Interim Champion Povetkin may face Usyk of Ukraine
On the night of August 22, Russia’s former Heavyweight World Champion Alexander Povetkin defeated Britain’s Dillian Whyte in the fifth round with a technical knockout to win the WBC interim heavyweight champion title

MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Russia’s WBC (the World Boxing Council) Interim Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin is likely to hold his next fight against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in case a return bout with Britain’s Dillian Whyte is not scheduled, Andrei Ryabinsky, the head of the World of Boxing Promotions Company, told TASS on Monday.

On the night of August 22, Russia’s former Heavyweight World Champion Alexander Povetkin defeated Britain’s Dillian Whyte in the fifth round with a technical knockout to win the WBC interim heavyweight

The interim title allows the Russian boxer to fight for the WBC heavyweight title, which is currently held by UK’s Tyson Fury. The British fighter is scheduled to face Deontay Wilder of the United States in December and Povetkin will face the winner of that bout.

However, earlier reports suggested that in line with his current contract, Povetkin was to hold a return fight with Whyte.


"We are eyeing all other possible variants, but in line with our existing contract we are scheduled for a return bout with Whyte," Ryabinsky said. "We are now in negotiations about the next fight and, in theory, it can be the bout against Usyk."

"It could have been one of the most interesting fights between the two Olympic champions with an outstanding boxing background," he continued. "Sasha [Povetkin] wants to keep boxing with the best opponents and Usyk is one of the best."

"This fight can only be hindered by the fact that Povetkin and Usyk are on very good terms with each other and it would not be good to see them testing their [friendly] relationship in the ring," Ryabinsky said.

"On the other hand, this fight may possibly become an outstanding performance with the two boxers, who have the respect for each other," he added.

Ukraine’s Usyk holds an unblemished record of 17 wins, including 13 by KOs, in his professional boxing career. He is the gold medalist of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London in the heavyweight division.

The Povetkin-Whyte bout was initially scheduled to be held on May 2 in Manchester. However, the fight was postponed indefinitely because of the ongoing global spread of the novel coronavirus.

In late May, various sports media reported that a mandatory challenge bout for the World Boxing Council (WBC) belt between Russian heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin and Britain’s Dillian Whyte would be organized either on August 8 or 15 without spectators in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte, 32, has now a personal record of 27 wins (18 by KOs) and two defeats throughout his professional boxing career.

Povetkin is known to the fans as the ‘Russian Vityaz,’ and boasts a personal record of 36 wins (25 KOs), two defeats and one draw throughout his career. The Russian boxer also won the gold at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

Before squaring off Whyte, Povetkin fought in December 2019 against US heavyweight Michael ‘The Bounty’ Hunter. Povetkin and Hunter fought to a draw on December 7, 2019 in Saudi Arabia in the WBA (the World Boxing Association) Heavyweight Title Eliminator bout. The judges’ scorecards read 115-113 for Povetkin, 115-113 for Hunter and 114-114.

Povetkin celebrated his 40th birthday on September 2, 2019, two days after his win over Britain’s Hughie Fury. Late last year, Povetkin underwent a surgery on his elbows and then announced that he was "not thinking about wrapping up his sports career."