41 year-old Klitschko, who has been embroiled in his political career in Ukraine since his previous defence against Manuel Charr in September last year, has been the subject of retirement rumours for the majority of this year – although looks set to adhere to the WBC’s stipulation.
The hard-hitting veteran is just three fights away from the magical fifty mark in the paid ranks, with his undefeated streak as the force of the division stretching back to his controversial loss to Lennox Lewis ten years ago.
Canadian Stiverne, 34, manoeuvred himself into position to challenge the formidable ‘Dr.Ironfist’ by surprisingly dominating Chris Arreola in April and has lost just once in 25 contests since turning professional in 2005.
