Hearn proposes Whyte fights Fury as Povetkin is hit by COVID-19 positive

Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin has been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and his fight against Dillian Whyte has been postponed, promoter Eddie Hearn said.

Povetkin and Whyte were due to fight at Wembley Arena on November 21, but their clash has been provisionally moved to a January 30 date.

Hearn suggested Whyte should instead tackle British rival and WBC champion Tyson Fury before the end of the year.

Fury is planning a December 5 title defence and German fighter Agit Kabayel is his expected opponent, but Hearn tweeted: "Dillian Whyte v Tyson Fury anyone?"

The clash between Povetkin and Whyte was set to be a rematch following their dramatic August showdown, when Povetkin won with a fifth-round knockout, despite having been dominated and knocked down twice in the early stages of the fight.

UPDATE Alexander Povetkin has tested positive for COVID-19… #PovetkinWhyte2 is postponed with a new target date of Jan 30 2021. A further announcement on our Nov 21 show will be made shortly. pic.twitter.com/I8ghShA8ei

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) November 3, 2020

Hearn, the head of Matchroom Boxing, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: "Unfortunately we got the news today that Alexander Povetkin is in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

"The fight will now be rescheduled to a target date of Jan 30. An announcement on our Nov 21 show will be made shortly."

Hearn added on Matchroom's website: "Firstly we want to wish Alexander Povetkin a speedy recovery.

"This is a challenging time for shows. There will be lots of ups and downs over the next few months. We look forward to the fight happening in late January."

Povetkin holds the WBC interim heavyweight title thanks to his previous win over Whyte.