Martinez survived a first-round knockdown in Saturday's clash, but came under a barrage of punches in the seventh round, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
Warrington, feeding off a partisan home crowd at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, reclaimed the same IBF crown he lost 14 months ago.
Now back at the top of his weight division after his first victory since October 2019, Warrington has a number of potential opponents in the offing.
An all-British showdown with Leigh Wood has been mooted, while unification fights with WBC title-holder Mark Magsayo or WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete are other options.
Warrington will take time to weigh up his decision, but fighting Stateside later this year is something the 31-year-old is strongly considering.
"In an ideal world I'd love to go to the States," he said in his post-fight interview. "But Leigh Wood's just become champion.
"I'd like an away day. I love it here [in Leeds]. We've been talking about going to the States for so long. There's options.
"We can go States, go the City Ground [to fight Wood in Nottingham]. I'm sure these fans will travel with me. I'll sit down with Eddie Hearn and we'll see."
Promoter Hearn only fuelled the fire regarding a possible Stateside fight for Warrington next up.
"Josh has long wanted a trip to America and it would be Ricky Hatton-esque if we could do it," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "There's mandatory as well and loads of politics.
"It looked like his career might be over, but he came back and regained the belt. He's back in control with big nights ahead."
Warrington has now headlined the First Direct Arena 11 times and, despite having the potential to sell out bigger venues, he is more than happy to stay 'home' for his next fight.
"We might not do the same numbers as the big boys – like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – but I'd rather have an arena full of these lot than a 100,000 tourists any day," he said.
"There is no place like this in the world, never mind the country. When I'm on it and these supporters turn out, there's nothing like it in the world."
The clash between the British fighter and his Mexican opponent was highly anticipated, after Lara stunned Warrington at Wembley Arena in February, handing him the first defeat of his career.
A big crowd in Warrington's home city was charged up for their second showdown, but it ended in disappointment all round as an accidental head clash in the second round caused Lara a nasty cut above his left eye.
It was announced to the frustrated crowd that a technical draw had been declared by referee Steve Gray because four rounds had not been completed.
"I'm confused," Warrington told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I felt like I could burst into tears and I had a lump in my throat when Steve waved it off.
"I thought I'd caught him in the first round and I could see a little nick there and I thought I'd keep on targeting that.
"I'm just gutted, I'm absolutely gutted."
Warrington said his early impression of the contest was that it was his for the winning.
"I thought to myself, 'how did this guy knock me out?'," Warrington said. "I wanted to give [the crowd] a bit of a show. We had a few game plans but I'm gutted.
"After that first round I thought, 'wow, I'm seeing everything, I'll just dictate this fight and I'll even stop it whenever'."
He spoke of fancying a stoppage in the sixth or seventh round, saying he had "visualised this place going mental", and believes he and Lara could try again before long.
"Obviously I want to get the 'W' again," Warrington said.
"I want to have beaten every man I've ever stepped in the ring with. I want to get that under my belt and win another world title.
"We've got to see how long it's going to take to heal. I've had seven months out since the last fight. I'd like to be out sooner but if we can get a quick turnaround we'll have it."
A proposed mouthwatering battle between WBC champion Fury and WBA-Super, IBF, WBO and IBO strap-holder Usyk has been shrouded in doubt as the two parties were unable to settle on terms.
Alex Krassyuk, Usyk's promoter, revealed Fury had rejected a 60-40 purse split in favour of the winner for a bout at Wembley on April 29.
Usyk then put the ball back in "greedy belly" Fury's court by agreeing to the Briton's demand for a 70-30 split, provided he immediately donates £1million to warn-torn Ukraine as they continued to do their talking over social media rather than around the table.
But the WBA later provided an encouraging update, stating assurances have been made that an agreement was reached ahead of Friday's deadline.
"WBA President Gilberto Mendoza received confirmation from Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury's teams that there is an agreement to make the unification fight," the WBA tweeted. "They request time to work on the contracts to close the deal."
The Ukrainian defended his trio of heavyweight belts in a rematch with Anthony Joshua in August, then entering negotiations with Tyson Fury for a unification bout.
However, Usyk was unable to secure terms with Fury for a fight that would have crowned the first unified heavyweight champion since 2000, with the expectation being that Dubois would therefore be his next opponent.
On Monday, the WBA wrote on Twitter: "The WBA Championships Committee ordered the bout between Heavyweight Super Champion Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
"The organisation sent the communication to the parties today with a 30-day negotiation period starting on April 4 and ending on May 2."
Usyk is the holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF titles and, with the rotational agreement between the government bodies, Dubois is the first in line for his shot.
The Brit secured his position last year against Trevor Bryan, claiming the WBA 'regular' title, and successfully defended it against Kevin Lerena.
The pair are seeking to come to terms on a fight that would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Though discussions have appeared close to producing a resolution on several occasions, changes in demands from both camps have prolonged the process.
With time running out to meet the provisional April 29 fight date pencilled in for Wembley Stadium, the WBA has now issued a final deadline.
"March 10 was the deadline for the initial negotiations granted by the WBA," a WBA statement read.
"After the WBA announced the situation, Usyk and Fury’s teams contacted each other to inform that the pact was on its way and that the fight was going to take place.
"Now, the WBA has given them this new deadline that expires on April 1 and hopes that the fight can take place, since it is what the fans are asking for and what the whole boxing world is waiting for."
The WBA has held off on issuing Usyk with a mandatory fight against Daniel Dubois. Usyk holds the 'super' champion belt while Dubois is the 'regular' champion.
Usyk and Fury's potential fight has dominated the sport across the first few months of 2023, with the pair trading barbs as they seek to hammer out a deal.
The Ukrainian last fought in August, when he defended his titles against Anthony Joshua in their rematch, while Briton Fury completed his trilogy with Derek Chisora in December, winning with a 10th-round knockout.
Canelo etched his name in the history books courtesy of a brutal 11th-round knockout of previously unbeaten IBF holder Caleb Plant in their blockbuster unification showdown on November 6 – the Mexican superstar becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion.
After sweeping the division with his WBC, WBC and WBO belts, plus the IBF crown, Canelo (57-1-2) is looking to make the step up to become a five-division champion.
Canelo has never competed at cruiserweight, but the 31-year-old is now in line to meet Congolese champion Makabu (28-2), who has won nine consecutive fights dating back to 2016.
"I know... what he has done with the heavyweights he spars with, and that is why we asked for the fight," Reynoso told ESPN Deportes.
"We know that [Makabu] is strong, but Canelo can beat him.... Many may say that it is crazy, but they also said that it was crazy when Canelo was junior middleweight champion and we were looking for middleweights, super middleweight, light heavyweights.
"I have a lot of confidence in Canelo. He is very strong and has many qualities, and I know that he is going to win that fight."
Usyk produced a near-perfect display to record a split-decision victory over Anthony Joshua in Jeddah on Saturday, retaining the WBA, IBF and WBO belts he took from the Briton in London last year.
Having retained his undefeated professional record with a 20th victory in as many fights, Usyk declared his intention to fight Fury, saying: "I'm sure Tyson Fury isn't retired yet. I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."
Fury has repeatedly flip-flopped on his boxing future, calling out Derek Chisora earlier this month before ruling out a return to the ring just three days later.
In the aftermath of Usyk's win over Joshua, however, Fury told his Instagram followers he would "annihilate" both fighters before declaring that the "Gypsy King is here to stay forever".
Sulaiman is excited by the prospect of Fury, who is unbeaten in 33 professional bouts, returning to face the Ukrainian.
"Tyson Fury is a unique man, his personality, his thinking is unique so I respect that, I respect him," Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
"He has been so loyal to the WBC, he has been so representative and proud of the WBC. I just hope that he makes the right decision, whichever it is.
"If he decides to hang up the gloves and retire, what a great way to do it, with money, with health, with his beautiful family.
"But if he has that hunger of going into the ring, which I believe is the case, it would be great to see him represent the WBC in a fight with Usyk or other championship fights he could have in the near future."
Sulaiman also revealed Fury has until Friday to confirm whether he intends to vacate the WBC heavyweight title after his latest retirement claims, and stated his belief fans may not have to wait long to see the two champions in action.
"Tyson Fury is the WBC champion of the world, he's not holding the 'other belt', he's holding the WBC championship, which is the championship of Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, [Joe] Frazier, [Mike] Tyson, Lennox Lewis etc," Sulaiman said.
"I'm very proud of Tyson Fury, he's a tremendous fighter and I am sure he wishes to continue boxing and a fight to unify all the championships in the division would be tremendous."
Sulaiman said Fury was free to make his own choice, adding: "But my personal opinion is that boxing is going through a great stage, a great moment, it will be great to see Fury against Usyk in the ultimate unification of the division.
"We are in August, there is still time to finalise and close up the year, or early next year."
Sulaiman said a tussle between Usyk and Fury at this stage in their careers would be "a momentous, huge event".
Wilder has not fought since he was beaten by Tyson Fury for a second time in their trilogy fight last October.
Fury knocked the American out in the 11th round at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to retain his title.
The 'Gypsy King' successfully defended his WBC world heavyweight crown for a second time by knocking Dillian Whyte out in the sixth round at Wembley on Saturday and reiterated he plans to retire after that all-British bout.
Wilder would have an opportunity to regain the WBC strap as the number one contender if Fury quits and Sulaiman expects the 'Bronze Bomber' to fight again in 2022.
Sulaiman told Sky Sports: "He's [Wilder] taking it easy and weighing up his plans for the future. He had a very busy reign as a champion, two knockout losses to Fury which was difficult, but he's matured and he's doing very well.
"He's having a good time with his wife and enjoying life but I'm sure he'll be back.
"He's one of those fighters that you rarely see in the ring that has the ability to knock somebody out with one punch and he has had many exciting fights. He's a great fighter and great person. I'm sure he will fight this year."
Fury recently reaffirmed his intentions to step away from boxing after successfully defending his WBC heavyweight belt against Dillian Whyte.
The undefeated 33-year-old delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Whyte at Wembley Stadium last month, and either side of the fight suggested he will call time on his career.
Fury recently said on Piers Morgan's show 'Uncensored' on Talk TV that he was "done", despite speculation surrounding potential clashes with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
"This is the truth, the gospel truth, nothing but the truth – I'm done," Fury said.
"I'm quitting while I'm ahead, I'm undefeated and only the second man in history to retire as undefeated heavyweight champion.
"I'm very, very happy, very content in my heart with what I've done and what I've achieved."
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has said they will be asking Fury and his team to confirm whether he is certain about retirement.
"The WBC will be communicating with Tyson Fury and his promoters about his future plans in the coming week," Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
"We are ready to support him on whatever he decides. If he decides to retire, the WBC will fully support him."
Should Fury stay true to his word, he will join American great Rocky Marciano as one of only two heavyweight champions to retire with an unbeaten record.
"It is our dream to see fighters retire with such greatness. Undefeated champion, financially protected with a loving family and a great future outside the ring," Sulaiman added.
"I am very happy and satisfied if this is his final decision and will fully support him and will be close to him for the rest of his life."
Rumours continue to suggest that Fury has his eye on opportunities outside professional boxing in the near future, with a potential boxing-mixed martial arts exhibition event with UFC star Francis Ngannou, and a recent suggestion from Fury that he could again turn his hand to professional wrestling after his appearances for WWE in 2019.
Canelo will drop back down to the 168-pound limit to take on WBA champion Smith, who boasts a 27-0 record and is ranked by The Ring magazine as the best in the division.
The four-division world champion from Mexico and Brit Smith needed no extra incentive to win on December 19, but they have now been informed the vacant WBC strap will also there for the taking.
As the mandatory challenger, Avni Yildirim will be in line to face the winner of the bout between Canelo and Smith within 90 days of their bout.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said: "The WBC is extremely proud to have such a tremendous fight for the vacant WBC super-middleweight title.
"Canelo and Callum will give the world a superb closing of a difficult year and will make fans from around the world celebrate with much entertainment and enjoyment. I would like to personally praise Avni Yildirim for his exemplary collaboration to make this a reality."
Both Smith and Canelo have won WBC straps previously, the latter holding the super-welterweight and middleweight straps and the former the diamond belt at 168lbs.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said: "I am delighted that the winner of this fight will be crowned the WBC World champion at 168lbs.
"Canelo Alvarez is the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, and Callum Smith is the number one super-middleweight on the planet – so it is fitting for the winner to proudly wear the green and gold belt on December 19."
The WBO on Saturday sent a letter ordering the unified heavyweight titleholder to fight Usyk (18-0), the sanctioning body's mandatory challenger.
While Joshua (24-1) holds the WBO, IBF and WBA belts, Fury (30-0-1) claimed the WBC title from the previously unbeaten Deontay Wilder (41-1-1) in their February 2020 rematch following a draw in their initial bout.
On Monday, a judge in the United States ruled that the dethroned champion had the right to face the Briton for a third time before September 15.
Two days later, the WBO sent Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn a letter giving him 48 hours to show cause why it should not mandate a title defense against Usyk.
On Friday, Hearn asked the body for an extension until Monday, but the WBO denied that request Saturday.
The WBO gave the Joshua and Usyk camps 10 days to finalise an agreement for a fight, or the body will order a purse bid.
Should that happen, the letter said, Joshua would receive 80 per cent of the minimum $1million bid and Usyk 20 per cent.
Former two-time heavyweight champion Tyson has sparked excitement and no little consternation through a succession of social media videos that show him going through explosive pad workouts.
During one such clip, the 53-year-old declared: "I'm back."
Tyson's old rival Evander Holyfield, himself now 57, has stated he would be prepared to face a man who infamously bit off a chunk of his ear in their 1997 rematch.
That would be a third meeting between Tyson and Holyfield, while 48-year-old heavyweight Shannon Briggs claims to have signed to fight his fellow Brooklyn native.
Both of those mooted bouts would seemingly be exhibition events for charity, although another of the division's all-time greats – Larry Holmes – remarkably suggested this week that the winner of Holyfield-Tyson III could then be pitted against a current top-10 contender.
When this was put to Sulaiman, who was speaking to Stats Perform News courtesy of @trcksuits, he responded: "Mike Tyson was the youngest to win a world championship. Maybe he will be the oldest! He’s a tremendous, legendary figure. He’s an icon for the sport, an icon for the WBC.
"He could knock out anyone with one punch, at any time! So of course we will support him.
"I don't like to speculate. This is a topic we are all entertained by. An exhibition is one thing; if he comes back he has to be licensed and has to go through a thorough process.
"I’m not going to kill the dream. I’m going to be very supportive of Mike Tyson, he deserves it. If the dream is to say 'I will be ranked', I am saying yes we will rank him.
"Every world champion has a provision that he can come back, like Sugar Ray [Leonard] who was inactive. But Tyson’s case is different, he’s been away many years.
"But I am in full support of Mike Tyson. I believe this will bring entertainment and he’s doing it for charity. He wants to serve the world in this difficult moment."
Sulaiman was keen to point to Tyson's considerable ring absence, considering his decorated ring career ended in 2005 on the back of consecutive stoppage losses to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride.
"We need to first understand what it is. I think it’s an exhibition. The safety has to be top priority," he said.
"It is great to see athletes promoting the sport. Mike Tyson had a very complicated life in boxing.
"Now to see him losing weight, active, healthy, is great and we have to support him. But we have to see if it is a real fight. I am hearing that it’s an exhibition and we are fully behind him."
Tyson's complex life in and out of the ring has led to concerns over the adverse effects him lacing gloves again could have for the sport as a whole.
However, Sulaiman balked at the idea any negative publicity would be problematic
"Don’t watch it, if you don't like it," he added. "I love to see NFL players do reunions, I love to see legends doing something.
"Why not allow them to do something for charity? The only thing we have to be careful about is their safety. Why would we block it otherwise? We offer him our full support."
A unanimous decision triumph against Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday brought an end to a two-fight losing streak for Joshua, who swiftly set his sights on a bigger opportunity.
Joshua's clash against Franklin was his first non-title fight in 12 bouts and, if he gets his way, will return to familiar ground next time out.
Fury and Joshua have negotiated for a 'Battle of Britain' clash in previous years without securing an agreement, but the 'Gypsy King's' failure to set up an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk has opened the door again.
With Usyk expected to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Fury's next move is not clear, and Joshua has issued his challenge.
"I know who the fans want… They said Fury. The ball is in his court," Joshua told DAZN in the ring after his win.
"I would 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. It would be an honour.
"Wherever you are, if you're listening, you know my management, you know my promoter. We've had dialect before, so let's continue and hopefully we can get this done sooner rather than later. We're not getting any younger.
"I can't wait to get back to Texas, to develop and push on. You know how one fight leads to another; I can't wait to get the next big fight."
Promising a new dawn against Franklin, Joshua fell short of expectations despite having the upper hand throughout, acknowledging he should have earned a stoppage.
"Someone else would knock him out, probably, but Jermaine has a good duck and dive style," he added.
"There were opportunities there but he knows how to tuck up. Respect to him, he done well, I respect him for that.
"Well done to him and his team for preparing. I should have knocked him out but what can I say now, it's done, onto the next."
The WBC heavyweight champion has laid down the mantle to his compatriot in attempts to finally give fans the fight they have been crying out for, although not with the same stakes as previously anticipated.
Fury and Joshua had an agreement to fight in Saudi Arabia in August 2021, which would have been a unification of the three leading heavyweight titles, but plans collapsed after a US judge ruled Deontay Wilder's rematch with Fury should go ahead.
While Fury was able to defeat the Bronze Bomber, Joshua lost his titles to Oleksandr Usyk and lost again to the Ukrainian in last month's rematch.
That seemed to spell the end of Joshua's stint at the top of the heavyweight game but Fury has offered a shot at his WBC belt later this year, with Usyk not planning to fight until 2023 due to injuries.
Fury has made his proposals public knowledge on social media and explained why he has gone in with a 60/40 offer, while adding venues have been provisionally booked.
"I think it's more than generous. I didn't want to go in at 80/20 like they would do to me," he told TalkSport.
"I really want this fight to happen because Usyk the middleweight doesn't want no smoke like I thought he didn't and now I'm going after AJ. I've already beaten Wilder and there's only one other person and that's AJ the bodybuilder.
"Why not give him 40 per cent, no excuses, let's get the fight made for the British public. the Battle of Britain, who's going to win it, me or him?
"He only had a sparring contest [against Usyk] didn't he? He's match fit, coming off a training camp. I've seen they're trying to wriggle a bit with the dates.
"We had Manchester United football ground booked for November 12 but they're saying that's too short.
"Even better, we've got Wembley booked for November 26 and if he doesn't want that I even have December 3 in Cardiff, so take your pick you dosser."
Wembley was the venue for Fury's knockout of Dillian Whyte in April, while Cardiff played host to Joshua's 2018 victory against Joseph Parker.
Due to the winter months proposed, Cardiff's Principality Stadium may be the preferred option due to the closing roof.
The Ukrainian put down Dubois in the ninth round to retain his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts, although there was controversy over a punch deemed a low blow by the British fighter in the fifth round that left Usyk on the canvas.
Here, the PA news agency looks at what comes next for Usyk.
Could there be a rematch?
There was no rematch clause included in the contract but Dubois and his team were furious about the low blow decision and promoter Frank Warren has already said they will push for the fight to be declared a no contest, or a rematch ordered.
What about Tyson Fury?
Usyk was asked immediately after the fight about the prospect of facing WBC champion Tyson Fury in a unification contest and said he would be ready for it “tomorrow”. Fury is due to fight Francis Ngannou on October 28 in Saudi Arabia, and predicting the 35-year-old’s next move is notoriously difficult.
Who else?
Filip Hrgovic is the mandatory IBF challenger and believes he should be ahead of Fury in the queue to take on Usyk. The undefeated Croatian defeated Demsey McKean on the same card which saw Anthony Joshua knock out Robert Helenius.
Could it be Joshua?
Usyk and Joshua have gone toe-to-toe in two of the most high-profile fights in recent years, with the Ukrainian causing an upset in the first contest and then narrowly retaining the titles he won. A third fight does not appear to be on the cards, though, with Joshua eyeing a clash against Deontay Wilder in a double bill with Usyk-Fury.
Any other options?
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At 36, there must be questions about Usyk’s future in the sport and, if the Fury fight does not happen soon, how long will he hang on? The Ukrainian took up arms in the early stages of the war against Russia and events in his homeland could also be a factor in his next move.
McGregor needed just 40 seconds to defeat Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in Las Vegas on Saturday, as the 31-year-old marked his comeback after 15 months away from the Octagon in style.
And White believes McGregor has now reached the same level as stardom as icons such as Ali, Tyson and Leonard.
"[Conor] is such a huge superstar. I put him up there with Tyson, Leonard," White told a media conference.
"All of them," he added when asked if McGregor could be compared to Ali, considered to be the greatest fighter in boxing history.
"He's got the biggest pay-per-view in pay-per-view history. How many of the top 10 does he have? I don't even know. He's one of the biggest stars out there.
"A lot of the times coming in his career he's been doubted for his talent and he proves everybody wrong every time."
White was also asked how much McGregor was worth to UFC, with a figure of $2billion suggested by a reporter.
"Two billion dollars? Sounds like a good number, I'll take that," White joked. "I don't know what he's worth to the company but it's big.
"You couldn't go anywhere without seeing this fight and knowing that this fight was on. All the people came out and watched the fight.
"This is one of those fights that people who normally don't buy [do] buy, right? So, the number is always massive.
"Then Conor comes out and does what he did tonight. You can't put a number on that. It's massive and it's global. The whole world was watching tonight."
McGregor's previous fight came in October 2018, when he was defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In his own post-fight news conference, McGregor outlined his intention to go up against the Russian once more, and White is eager to make a rematch happen.
"We're at a place right now where Conor was saying that, going into the Khabib fight, he had lots of personal stuff," said White.
"Some stuff [was] self-inflicted. He had injuries. He had all these things going on. He has been obsessed with getting that rematch because he knows that he wasn't 100 per cent right.
"We're looking at like Ali-Foreman, Ali-Frazier. This is a massive fight with global appeal. It's the fight you make, it's the fight that makes sense. It's for the 155-pound title.
"It's huge for Khabib’s legacy, too. If he beat McGregor, then he beats Tony Ferguson, then he beats McGregor again, I mean, this is how this kid, when he retires, he's 30-something and, oh, he's beaten all of the best."
Frank Warren announced the first “Magnificent Seven” boxing card of 2024 on Thursday, including Joyce and Nathan Heaney, will take place in Birmingham on March 16.
Joyce will look to bounce back from two defeats to China’s Zhilei Zhang in 2023 and try to return to world title fight contention.
“It’s good to be back and get back into camp and to start the year with a bang,” Joyce said at a press conference at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
“I’m still here. I’m not retiring and I have plenty of fights to be in. It’s an exciting time to be in. Why retire now? I’d be crazy to.
“I want to get back to winning ways again with a nice victory and then there are plenty of fights on the horizon. The heavyweight division is thriving at the moment especially with the opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
“Styles make fights and he’s a hard hitting durable southpaw (Zhang). I learnt from the first fight but I didn’t get the result (in the second). He got the beating of me and I’ll see what he’ll do next.”
Following his victory over Denzel Bentley in November, the undefeated Heaney will headline the event when he defends his British middleweight title against Brad Pauls.
The Stoke fighter said: “I’ve got the British title and the next title after that is the English title (which Pauls holds) so he is no easy pick at all.
“It was something I’ve always dreamt about (winning British title). That motivation is there for everyone. He’s better than people think, he has got a good jab and it sets up for a good fight.”
Birmingham’s Solomon Dacres features on the card, Eithan James fights Owen Cooper for the English welterweight title and Zach Parker faces Germany’s Tyron Zeuge.
Dennis McCann will also return to the ring after August’s technical draw with Ionut Baluta when he goes head-to-head with Liverpool’s Brad Strand while Erik Robles fights Liam Davies for the IBO world super bantamweight title.
The news comes soon after the announcement of Anthony Joshua’s next bout against MMA star Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8.
Queensbury promoter Warren said: “We have so many quality fights, great for those buying tickets.
“We have top talent with youngsters coming through. It’s a competitive fight for everyone on the card. We have revived the format, we will do this a few times this year.”
The Briton's lengthy quest to earn a title shot hit the buffers after Povetkin won their first bout in Brentwood last August by catching Whyte with a bruising uppercut, despite having been put down twice prior to that fifth-round shock.
In a case of deja vu, Whyte - who now improves to 28-2-0 (19 KOs) by triumphing in the 'Rumble on the Rock' - sent Povetkin to the floor with a crushing hook in round four, and though the Russian tried to stumble back to his feet the referee stopped the contest with the towel thrown in by his camp.
For Whyte, it was an emphatic statement and the end of a frustrating wait after this rematch was twice scuppered with Povetkin having suffered the long-term effects of a COVID-19 infection.
A dominant performance, in which the jab landed with regularity, sees Whyte become the WBC's 'interim' heavyweight champion but his sights could now turn to facing former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, while in the long term whoever triumphs in the mouthwatering unification bout between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will be on his radar.
"I was ready straight away. He's a tough guy, I think I could have finished him early. I'm ready to run it back again that's how I feel," Whyte, who went through a drastic body transformation and had his sugar intake over Christmas monitored by a nutritionist, told Sky Sports.
"If he wants a rematch, they offer me the right money I'll go again. I'm annoyed, the first time I shouldn't have lost. I made a mistake and paid for it.
"From the first round I was on to him, then I was like let me relax, don't blow up. I was tempted to go hell for leather the first round, then I thought it might not be the best thing to do.
"He's only lost to me, Joshua and [Wladimir] Klitschko. Yeah, I still believe I can be world champion. This camp was a bit annoying because of the rescheduling, I was in much better shape than this. I had to stop-start, change up nutrition."
Povetkin - whose record now reads 36-3-1 (25 KOs) - was in trouble as early as round one, with Whyte staggering his opponent with a clubbing body shot and landing flush with a hook that left the Russian on wobbly legs.
To his credit, Povetkin steadied himself and landed with a hook of his own in the second but Whyte continued to control proceedings behind the jab and landing rights from range.
Whyte went to the floor in round three but only after losing his footing and soon clubbed Povetkin with another huge right.
That was the precursor to a barnstorming finish. Povetkin was already in trouble from another mammoth blow and Whyte finished the job with one more huge hook, before graciously racing over to the opposite corner with a stool to help the recovery of his beaten opponent.
Wilder is no longer working with Breland ahead of a third fight with Tyson Fury, with the American's co-manager Shelly Finkel confirming reports of the split to World Boxing News.
It was Breland - a former world champion - who threw in the towel to halt the second bout against Fury in February, as his fighter came under heavy punishment in the seventh round having already suffered two knockdowns.
However, Wilder was unhappy with the timing of the stoppage as he lost for the first time in his professional career, in the process ending his reign as WBC champion.
Yet Whyte has branded his rival an "idiot" for making such a major change to his team, insisting Breland made the correct call based on his own experiences in the ring.
"I think it's the worst mistake he's ever made, because Mark Breland is the only person in his team that actually was a boxer and actually was a world champion," Whyte told Sky Sports. "He was the only person that didn't care about money or fame.
"Someone who was actually from an emotional point [of view], someone who understands, thinking about his health and did the right thing by throwing the towel in, because he could have got seriously hurt.
"He was getting hit with punches that weren't knocking him out, they were concussing him. Mark Breland knows what it's like, because Mark Breland has been in the same position Wilder was in. He's someone that cares about the athlete and the boxing side of things."
He added: "Deontay Wilder is an idiot, he clearly can't see it. Good luck to him, it's his team, he can do whatever he wants.
"But I think it's a bad mistake. Mark Breland is the only one that knows boxing in his team."
Wilder has a rematch clause to face Fury again, though a date and venue for their third clash is yet to be confirmed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Whyte was next in line for a shot at the WBC champion until suffering a shock loss to Alexander Povetkin in September. The pair are booked for a rematch on November 21.
Wilder had his suspension lifted by the WBC last month after UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) dropped charges against the British heavyweight.
The 31-year-old was cleared by after initially being charged for testing positive for a banned substance, but has now had his mandatory challenger status reinstated.
Whyte will be due a title shot around February 2021, but claims champion Deontay Wilder does not want to fight him, so the man nicknamed 'The Body Snatcher' has turned his attention on Russian veteran Povetkin.
The Londoner told Sky Sports: "He [Whyte's promoter Eddie Hearn] mentioned April 18 in an interview, so I guess that's the date.
"Probably in London or Manchester, something like that. The O2 gets booked up a lot, so either London or Manchester. They are two good venues and it would be good to move to a different part of the country some time as well. Manchester Arena would be good."
Whyte added on a potential bout with Povetkin: "If he wants it, he can get it. It's going to be a tear-up, because he is not really a mover and I'm not really a mover, so he's a come forward fighter and I come forward.
"We're going to have a scrap. Povetkin comes to fight doesn't he. He doesn't come to mess about. I'm the same, so let's get it.
"Let's see who has got the best left hook around."
