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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Tony Mogan

Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin and Dereck Chisora vs Oleksandr Usyk officially postponed

Whyte will meet Povetkin in Manchester on 2 May. (Picture: PA)

Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin and Dereck Chisora vs Oleksandr Usyk have been postponed, Matchroom has confirmed.

A huge summer of heavyweight boxing is likely to be derailed due to the coronavirus outbreak which has brought sport across the world to a halt.

Whyte vs Povetkin was scheduled to kick off that run on May 2 with a new date of July 4 now confirmed. Tickets will be valid for that rescheduled date with refunds available through point of purchase.

Back in London, Usyk, the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua’s WBO heavyweight title, had been set to meet the battle-hardened former world title challenger Chisora on May 23. A new date for that contest is still to be decided.

The update comes after the British Boxing Board of Control announced all boxing shows in May under its jurisdiction have been called off.​

A BBBoC statement said: "The British Boxing Board of Control has further extended its suspension of boxing tournaments under its jurisdiction for the month of May.

"We will continue to follow the government and medical authorities advice and keep the situation under review and when possible explore all options available to find a way of lifting the suspension when conditions permit."

Joshua’s world title defence against Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20 also remains under threat.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder were also expected to meet in their trilogy fight in July with promoter Bob Arum admitting last week October is now a more likely date.

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