Dillian Whyte Eager To Give Back By Fighting Behind Closed Doors

Top heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte is very eager to get back in the mix, by fighting behind closed doors.

Whyte was scheduled to face former WBA champion Alexander Povetkin this past Saturday night, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the contest was pushed back to July 4th.

Eddie Hearn is promoting the card and aims to have it move forward in July or early August, in a closed doors setting - but everything will depend on UK restrictions being lifted and the directives of the British Boxing Board of Control.

Whyte, who is itching to fight after being inactive since the December win over Mariusz Wach, has no problem fighting without fans in attendance.

"Fighting is my job," said Whyte to BBC Sport.

"I will do it behind closed doors, in a car park - I love fighting. At a time like this, people need things to draw strength from. They need something to look forward to. If I could be one of the first guys to give back, people will get together to watch - so I'd be super privileged to do that."

Whyte is the WBC's mandatory challenger to the title currently held by Tyson Fury, who is scheduled to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight. The winner of the trilogy must face Whyte by February 2021.

Hearn believes boxing has a good shot to return in July - especially if the Premier League confirms its own restart.

"A lot of sports are sitting on the Premier League," Hearn told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat.

"Once the Premier League gets the all-clear, its very difficult to stop the other sports from returning as well - but there will have to be a protocol to follow. Boxing is a little different as we rely on doctors at the event and - if there is an injury - the emergency teams that can treat that fighter.

"We will return in July, in my opinion. We will start with a couple of smaller events, and then we want to get some of these big events away. The fighters will be forced to have more all-British fights. We will be taking over a hotel, having testing procedures for fighters and making sure everyone there is in a safe, sterile environment."