“The Rules of the Game Changed” – Alexander Povetkin’s Promoter Releases a Statement

Dillian Whyte lost his second professional fight last Saturday and surrendered his belt and mandatory position to boot. However, contrary to the general belief, the win didn’t grant the mandatory slot to Alexander Povetkin. This is since the bout at Matchroom Fight Camp was only for the interim championship which ‘The Body Snatcher’ elected to defend. 

Povetkin’s promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, acknowledged that as the fight was for the championship, his client and Dillian Whyte would fight again. He said, “A rematch is a normal practice for such fights.”

Despite a rematch, Ryabinsky feels that Povetkin winning again will not guarantee him an immediate shot against the WBC champion. 

He said, “The rules of the game changed a little, we have to figure it out. This entire mandatory challenger situation is very difficult, it will now drag on for a year or two. It is deeper and more complex, but in a nutshell, everything is like this.”

Presently, the mandatory challenger’s slot is vacant. The WBC doesn’t have anyone to order their heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to defend his belt against. 

This means ‘The Gypsy King‘ can head into his trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder knowing that he doesn’t have any additional bouts to focus on before clashing against Anthony Joshua in 2021. Hence, in retrospect, Povetkin’s left uppercut benefited Tyson Fury greatly. 

Could Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin rematch for the mandatory challenger slot?

Dillian Whyte claimed that he wants to face Alexander Povetkin in a rematch. This will be as he feels he should have put the Russian down properly after dropping him on a few instances in the match.

‘The Body Snatcher’ accepts that getting knocked out and stopped is part of boxing. He will have a burning desire to silence the boxing world which has ripped him over the last few days. 

Read: Tyson Fury Bob Arum and Others React to Dillian Whyte’s Devastating Loss to Alexander Povetkin

Also, he would want to recapture his interim championship and stake a claim to the WBC championship. This is something he feels the governing body has denied him for a long time. 

Both parties could set the rematch for December, which gives ‘The Body Snatcher’ enough time to chart a game plan and get his own against the 40-year-old and knock him out.  

Read: “I’ll Knock Povetkin Out” – Dillian Whyte Issues a Stern Warning to Alexander Povetkin

There are no announcements yet regarding the fight being for the mandatory slot. The interim champion fighting the full champion is the norm in combat sports, and it may be no different here. Dillian Whyte will have it all to fight for when he stands across the ring from ‘White Horse’ for a second time.