Should Alexander Povetkin beat Dillian Whyte in their eagerly anticipated rematch on November 21, the Russian dangerman plans to pursue a clash with WBC heavyweight king Tyson Fury.
Whyte, for so long the WBC’s No.1 contender, had been closing in on a shot at Fury when Povetkin, 41, knocked him cold with an exquisitely timed left uppercut in August to send shockwaves rippling through the heavyweight division.
‘Sasha’ Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) became the WBC interim heavyweight champion with that victory and, if he defeats Whyte in their sequel, will be on course for a fight with Fury himself after the Gypsy King’s projected two-fight series with unified champion Anthony Joshua in 2021.
Andrey Ryabinsky, Povetkin’s promoter, says they will actively pursue Fury if Whyte is vanquished again and the Russian seals mandatory challenger status with the WBC.
“We will work in this direction. The fight for the world title is a big event in the career of any fighter and, of course, we will seek a mandatory defence from the WBC,” Ryabinsky told Sky Sports, before stating he would love to stage Fury-Povetkin in Moscow’s 80,000 capacity Luzhniki Stadium.
“Why not? This is one of the possible locations. If such a fight takes place, it will really become an event in the boxing world, no matter where it takes place – in Russia or in any other country in the world.
“You know, Sasha has a very simple answer to [Fury]. ‘Champion, you say? Hasn’t lost yet? Does everyone consider him the strongest in the division? Then, of course, I want to box with him!’
“I’ll say it again, Sasha is only happy to box with the strongest opponents.”