Cruiserweight and Heavyweight thread.

Knocking out David Price in the Cardiff gala in the WBA heavyweight eliminator, Aleksander Powietkin (34-1, 24 KO) opened his way to the fight for the world championship with Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 KO). In the opinion of the promoter of the Russian Andrei Riabinsky to the the much anticipated clash Joshua could come in the autumn.

Meanwhile, Povetkin has been offered a duel with another player in the Matchroom Boxing group - leader of the WBC rankings Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KO). - Povetkin is now a compulsory contender for Joshua, but Whyte would like to be with him in June - said the promoter Whyte and Joshua Eddie Hearn, adding that the Russian is supposedly interested in the confrontation with the Body Snatcher.

 

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, is willing to make a deal for a fight with Wilder for the fall - but first he'd like to do a summer event with Joshua, likely in the United States against a top challenger.

“Can we get away with one more fight before Wilder? Yes, probably,” Hearn told Express Sport.

“In America would be the best move, and then we do the Wilder fight. Jarrell Miller, Bryant Jennings - I don’t know. But WBA will probably call the mandatory in the summer so then he’ll have to fight Alexander Povetkin in October and November but if the Wilder fight happens that will get passed.

“But what we have to consider is there is a very limited time frame to make an undisputed fight because you’re going to get mandatory and when you complete one the other governing body is going to put a mandatory on you. And that’s why I think the Wilder fight should happen in 2018.

“It probably shouldn’t happen this year in terms of building it up and the time to make it. But it has to because of the demand of the fans and the world we live in now.

“The good news for fans is I do listen and I do read what they want. After a while, you can’t not give them it. I’m not saying as soon as they want it, you’ve got to give it to them, but there comes a time when you have to.”

 

Oscar Rivas back on April 19th.

 

I just hope Dillian accepts it; we have,” Nisse Sauerland told Sky Sports for a story that appeared on the network’s website Wednesday. “We have accepted the position and we are ready to go. We have worked with Eddie [Hearn, Whyte’s promoter] successfully for a number of years now. He is the most straightforward out there to work with and we believe we are as well. I think it’s relatively easy.

My brother [Kalle] is already in touch with Eddie, obviously, and so am I,” Sauerland said. “The good thing is, both ways there is commercial value to it. In Bulgaria, Kubrat is a national hero, sells 20,000 [tickets] when he fights. Dillian obviously headlines at the O2 [Arena in London], and is an interesting fighter in his own right. It’s a big fight, either way we look at it.

“Two great contenders, great commercial interest and a shot at Anthony Joshua on the line. The IBF don’t mess around with mandatories. If you get in that mandatory spot, you’re the mandatory. June could work, definitely. Kubrat’s in training again, so it would work well. He’s recovered from the injury and ready to go again.”

 

Mike Perez has withdrawn from his fight against Thabiso Mchunu in favour of a big-money offer in Europe.