Oleksandr Usyk’s clash with Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte’s crunch rematch against Alexander Povetkin will take place at The SSE Arena, Wembley, which will provide the base for four Matchroom Boxing events from October-December.
Usyk will risk his position as WBO mandatory challenger to world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua against Chisora on October 31, whilst Whyte faces Povetkin on November 21 in a must-win clash after his stunning fifth round knockout defeat in August, where he lost his WBC interim heavyweight title and mandatory position to Tyson Fury.
The triple world title header, led by Katie Taylor’s undisputed Lightweight world title defence against Miriam Gutiérrez on November 14 will also be held at the Arena in a bill that features Terri Harper defending her WBC Super Featherweight crown against mandatory Katharina Thanderz and the vacant WBA Bantamweight title clash between Rachel Ball and Ebanie Bridges.
The final show held in the North West London venue on December 4 will be announced in due course.
Matchroom announced on Friday that Anthony Joshua’s rescheduled unified world heavyweight title defence against Kubrat Pulev will take place on December 12 at the O2 Arena.
“I’m delighted to have The SSE Arena, Wembley as our new home for the next six weeks, we’ve got a remarkable schedule especially considering the current environment,” said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport.
“It’s so important to be as creative as you can with behind closed doors events and here we have a huge space that we can create a high end viewing experience for the fans at home.
“Whilst we have made the decision to proceed with these huge nights without a crowd, we are working hard with The SSE Arena, Wembley and the authorities to try and bring fans back safely during this period.”
John Drury, VP & General Manager, The SSE Arena, Wembley said: “It’s such an honour that we’ve been chosen to host this Matchroom residency.
“We’ve seen some massive shows over the years, and circumstances now make these particularly special.
“Not only are they huge events in their own right, but they’ll be giving vital work to some of our supply chain contractors, which has been almost completely missing since March.”
