All or nothing for Whyte as he seeks revenge vs Povetkin in Heavyweight slugfest
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| Source: talkSPORT |
Dillian Whyte takes on Alexander Povetkin in their eagerly anticipated rematch tomorrow night.
They first traded leather back in August at Eddie Hearn's inaugural 'Fight Camp'. Povetkin pulled off a shock upset at the Matchroom Headquarters courtesy of a well-timed uppercut in the 5th round that put Whyte to sleep.
The former WBC mandatory challenger knows that if history were to repeat itself then it would all but end his hopes of challenging for a world title and that is what makes this fight such an enthralling match-up.
Set in the unfamiliar but unique British overseas territory of Gibraltar the fight is billed as the 'Rumble on the Rock' which seems very appropriate considering the power both men possess.
Just like the first time around the pressure is off Povetkin with very few people expecting him to repeat his heroics of 7 months ago and that makes him a dangerous animal.
Despite his best years being behind him he still carries ferocious punching power which can switch any heavyweights lights off in the blink of an eye.
He was missing wildly with what seemed like every attempt before landing one on the chin and he will believe that he can do so again should he see an opening.
Whyte gets his nickname the Body Snatcher from his ability to unleash venomous body shots that gradually zap the energy out of his opponents.
We saw this occur in the first fight as the man fighting out of Brixton dominated proceedings up until being knocked out.
Povetkin winced in pain as numerous blows were whipped into his midriff. This clearly depleted his stamina and with the Russian now 41-years-old it could be a tactic that Whyte and his team look to utilise again.
Since his defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2015, the 32-year-old has opted for a more patient approach rather than the gung-ho style he was previously associated with.
These days he tends to pick his shots more by executing a stiff jab that goes straight down the pipe of his opponents.
This is usually followed up by a right hand over the top which has seen him pick up 18 knockouts in his 27 wins so far.
Counter punching is also a huge strength of Whyte's which most notably paid dividends for him in his rematch with Dereck Chisora whom he rendered unconscious in the 11th round back in December 2018 following a violent left hook.
His Russian adversary knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of one of those counter strikes after he was put down twice in the fourth round of their first clash.
Beyond the ropes, Gibraltar has proved to be an excellent choice of location for the event and a commemorative £2 coin featuring both fighters' image has been created by Gibraltar's government to mark the occasion.
Hearn has shown great initiative in securing the Europa Point Sports Complex as the venue to host the fight after Whyte expressed a desire to fight in front of fans.
This was made possible after Gibraltar became the first country to vaccinate its entire adult population albeit 34,000 people but the 500 fans in attendance will surely provide an added edge to the affair.
What are the odds?
Povetkin is priced at 16/5 to retain the WBC interim belt whereas the bookies deem Whyte to be the favourite for the victory giving odds of 3/10 for him to avenge his defeat.
What have both men had to say?
Alexander Povetkin:
"I'm very happy to be here, I'm relaxed, confident, and the only thing on my mind right now is to go out on Saturday and show some good boxing."
Dillian Whyte:
"This is the most important fight of my career. Like I said this is boxing, I've been through ups and downs my whole life so I'm used to bouncing back, proving people wrong, showing people what I can when they've written me off."
The stage is set and the time for talking is over. Who will win? Will Whyte gain retribution? Or will Povetkin send him into the abyss? Let me know your thoughts!
