Dillian Whyte has revealed he has doubts as to whether Alexander Povetkin’s coronavirus diagnosis was the real reason he postponed their heavyweight rematch.

Whyte and Povetkin were due to face off for a second time on November 21 after the Russian shocked the Brit with a sensational fifth round knockout three months ago.

But last week it was confirmed Povetkin had contracted Covid-19, meaning the bout has been pushed back to the new year, with a date to be announced in due course.

However, Whyte is not so sure about the excuse.

"I personally don't think he's got Covid," he told Sky Sports.

"I think he just needed more time to get ready, because he took a lot of damage in the first fight.

"After the first fight, he took a lot of time off. Even though I got stopped, I went straight back to training and I got straight back on it."

Meanwhile, Povetkin was released from hospital on Tuesday after being treated for coronavirus.

And his promoter Andrey Ryabinskiy has now come out to quash any doubts over the delay.

"There are so many different opinions. Let's not listen to opinions, but be guided by facts and make decisions," he said.

"The facts are simple - Sasha got coronavirus, and we were forced to postpone the fight. This can happen to any athlete. Sasha was in the hospital, we have all the documents at hand. If Eddie Hearn has any question of this kind, I am ready to submit all these documents.

"Obviously, it is more profitable for us to have a rematch with Whyte after his defeat as soon as possible."

Whyte’s promoter Eddie Hearn is looking to re-schedule the fight for the end of January as the Brit looks to get his career back on track.

The winner of the rematch will be the mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury’s WBC title.