Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin 'will take place behind closed doors' says Eddie Hearn

Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin and Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano are set to be the first major fights in the UK to be held behind closed doors, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.

The heavyweight clash was originally scheduled to headline a card at the Manchester Arena on May 2 with Taylor defending her undisputed lightweight crown against Serrano on the same night.

The card was shifted to July 4 with the coronavirus pandemic halting the sporting calendar and while Hearn has suggested another push back, he is confident the show can go on without a live audience.

“A lot of people think it is difficult for bigger fights to happen behind closed doors," Hearn told The Boxing Show on Sky Sports.

"Whyte vs Povetkin is one of the fights we are planning to stage in the early part of the return, it will be take place behind closed doors.

"Dillian wasn't joking about fighting in a car park - it won't be in a car park!

I don't know how we're going to do it yet. But we have to come back with a bang. Whyte vs Povetkin, along with Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, is a fight that I believe we will see at the end of July or early-August."

Whyte puts his WBC mandatory position on the line against Povetkin, who has recent wins over British pair David Price and Hughie Fury on his record.

Taylor vs Serrano meanwhile serves as possibly the biggest bout in the history of women’s boxing, with the undefeated Irish fighter putting four belts on the line against seven-weight champion Serrano.

"She is pound-for-pound one of the biggest superstars in the sport," Hearn said of Taylor.

"I will try to make it happen on the Whyte vs Povetkin card somehow, somewhere, some way."

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