Dillian Whyte's heavyweight rematch against Alexander Povetkin has been postponed after the Russian tested positive for coronavirus.
Whyte's hopes of a world title shot were blown away by Povetkin in August when he was knocked out during the fifth round despite dominating the fight.
And now his plan to reignite his career in a bout scheduled for November 21 at Wembley Arena will have to wait.
UPDATE ℹ️ 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
Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn wrote on Twitter: "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."
The first contest was staged as part of Matchroom's Fight Camp, which was held at its headquarters in Brentwood, Essex.
Dillian Whyte v Tyson Fury anyone? 🤔 — Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) November 3, 2020
Whyte's status as the mandatory challenger to WBC champion Tyson Fury was blown away when Povetkin unleashed an explosive left uppercut to dramatically win the fight.
Povetkin, 41, who lost to Anthony Joshua in a world heavyweight title fight at Wembley in 2018, is the holder of the WBC interim heavyweight title.
Hearn stoked the possibility of Whyte earning a straight shot at Fury, who is seeking an opponent for a fight he has announced for London on September 5.
"Dillian Whyte v Tyson Fury anyone?" Hearn tweeted following the postponement, although boxing politics are likely to keep the prospect of such a contest at bay.
