As fight fans may well have read by now, Alexander Povetkin has unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19 and he will not be fighting Dillian Whyte in their November 21 return fight as scheduled. This is a bad blow – to Povetkin, to Whyte and to boxing fans – but first and foremost we must all wish Povetkin a swift and full recovery.
Fans had been looking forward to the Povetkin-Whyte rematch. In August, the Russian star iced Whyte in sensational fashion in the fifth round, this after having been down twice in the fight. The quick turnaround concerned some, who wondered if Whyte would have been better off taking a longer break between fights, so nasty was his heavy KO loss. Now, through no movement of his own, Whyte will have to wait a while longer before he gets a shot at revenge against Povetkin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BdaHyCDmxs
But in terms of the November 21 Sky Sports Box-Office date, all might not be lost. Derek Chisora, really a warrior through and through, has offered to step in and fight Whyte on the date. Chisora fought just this past Saturday night of course when he was outpointed in a close fight by Oleksandr Usyk. To be wanting to fight again just three weeks later really is something. And it does seem unlikely the British Board would allow Chisora to fight again so soon.
But Chisora, who has already been to war with Whyte on two memorable occasions, insists he is “ready to rock and roll.”
Chisora, who lost for the tenth time in dropping the decision to Usyk, took to social media to ask Eddie Hearn for a fight:
“Do you want to give me that fight? I’ll take that,” Chisora told Hearn via Instagram. “Want to give it to me? I have no bruises, I’m ready to rock and roll. It’s all about making history, think about it, let me know and I’ll take it.”
And we know Chisora is serious because, well, that’s just the kind of rough, tough, throwback fighter he absolutely is. Will Hearn look to take Chisora up on his offer? Is it a good idea? What about fighter safety? Hearn, perhaps tongue in cheek, took to social media himself upon hearing of Povetkin’s enforced pull out – tweeting whether or not a Whyte-Tyson Fight fight could happen on November 21:
“Dillian Whyte v Tyson Fury, anyone?” Hearn wrote.
This late replacement fight is even more unrealistic than Whyte Vs. Chisora. As of now, Hearn says a new date of January 30 is scheduled for Povetkin-Whyte II, and that “an announcement of our Nov 21 show will be made shortly.”
So, will the date be saved, will Whyte face a late replacement foe? If so, who – maybe Fury or Chisora? Stranger things have happened.