By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com has been informed that discussions took place over the weekend to match WBC/WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) against Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36KOs).

Klitschko had been scheduled to fight his IBF mandatory, Alexander Povetkin (16-0, 12KOs), on December 13 on HBO. Povetkin injured his left foot during a training run last Friday, forcing him to withdraw from the fight. The highest ranked contenders under the IBF, though not available, are Chris Arreola and Alexander Dimitrenko.

Rahman [ranked five by the IBF] is the most logical choice when considering that Oleg Maskaev, Sultan Ibragimov, Eddie Chambers and Andrew Golota are the next few names in the IBF rankings. Rahman is the bigger name among the bunch and a former two-time heavyweight champion.

In 2005, Rahman [then the WBC mandatory] was scheduled, several times, to fight older brother Vitali Klitschko [then the WBC champion]. Vitali was unable to shake his reoccurring injures and after several postponements - he announced his retirement and Rahman became the recognized champion by the WBC. The storyline is there, with Rahman finally getting his chance to fight someone with the last name of Klitschko.

No replacement has been officially named and several options are being explored for Klitschko. A decision could be made in the next few days.