Deontay Wilder defended his WBC Heavyweight title successfully this weekend, brutally knocking out Artur Szpilka, and now WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has said negotiations are ongoing for Wilder to face his mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (30-1, 22 Ko’s).
Talking to BoxingScene, Sulaiman confirmed that the heavyweight showdown could take place in May or June: “The next fight will absolutely see Wilder against the mandatory challenger, Alexander Povetkin.
“Right now, there is a negotiating process in which the parties have 30 days [to reach a deal]. I think the fight will take place in May or June.”
Andrei Ryabinsky, promoter to Povetkin, also confirmed that talks were going well although they are pondering their options of location and should have a decision made by February.
“The discussions are going well, but the details are not ready to go,” Ryabinsky told BoxingScene.
“We have several choices from which I can select and I have to see how they would look. [One choice is to] fight in Russia. It would be interesting to stage the fight in America, because the local PR would be strong and that would be good for Alexander’s development. But I see a lot of disadvantages for us. I think that within the month we should have answers to all these questions.”
Povetkin last fought in November, beating Mariusz Wach via a 12th round stoppage.
Povetkin’s only loss in his career has come against Wladimir Klitschko in 2013, losing his WBA title, although has picked up notable wins in his careers including victories over Marco Huck and Ruslan Chagaev.
– Oun Abbas Hussain / @ouney86
– Managing Editor for Behind the Gloves.
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