Andrey Ryabinsky, the promoter for former WBA world champion Alexander Povetkin, is firmly in the corner of his British partner, Eddie Hearn, in pushing back the planned fight with Dillian Whyte.

The fight, which was scheduled to take place on May 2nd in Manchester, was officially postponed on Monday until July 4th.

The British Boxing Board of Control has canceled all events until the end of May - due to the ongoing cornavirus pandemic.

The pandemic was creating issues for both boxers in training camp.

Whyte, who is currently the mandatory challenger to the WBC world title, had traveled 40 hours to continue his training camp.

Povetkin was having issues securing sparring partners, due to the various travel restrictions around the globe.

"Unfortunately, the virus is spreading and serious measures have been taken in England to combat its spread, and, as expected, the battle between Povetkin and Dillian will be postponed. We absolutely agree with this decision by our British partners, this is the only possible action in this situation,” said Ryabinsky.

Once the two boxers finally collide in the ring, Ryabinsky expects fireworks.

“The fight is good, very spectacular. The opponent [Whyte] is very dangerous, which, of course, can only create a certain feeling of excitement. But at this level, where Alexander competes, all of the guys are strong,” Ryabinsky said.

The last fight Povetkin held was back in December 2019 , when he fought to a draw with Michael Hunter. In total, the 40-year-old Russian veteran has 35 victories (24 by KO), two losses and one draw. Whyte, 31-years-old, has a record of 27 victories (18 by KO) and one defeat. Whyte competed on the same card, where he won a tough ten round unanimous decision over Polish giant Mariusz Wach.

Luke Furman covers boxing for bokser.org.