Alexander Povetkin meets Dillian Whyte in a rematch of their unforgettable August fight, in which THE RUSSIAN survived two knockdowns to stop Whyte with a single uppercut.
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ALEXANDER POVETKIN (36-2-1, 25 KOs) VS.
DILLIAN WHYTE (27-2, 18 KOs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_CekGA9CA0
- Date: Saturday, March 27
- Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Gilbraltar
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Cost: DAZN: $19.99 per month or $99 annually
- Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
- At stake: No titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Whyte 3-1 favorite
- Also on the card: Ted Cheeseman vs. James Metcalf, junior middleweights; Chris Kongo vs. Michael McKinson, welterweights
- Prediction: Whyte KO 9
- Background: Povetkin stunned the boxing world by rising from two knockdowns to stop the favored Whyte with a single left uppercut in the fifth round on Aug. 22 outside London, which cost Whyte his mandatory status. The rematch is Saturday in the British territory of Gibraltar (bordering Spain). Povetkin, 41, had mixed results the past few years – losing to Anthony Joshua, outpointing Hughie Fury and then drawing with Michael Hunter – and he struggled for four-plus rounds against Whyte, going down twice in Round 4 in what seemed to be the beginning of the end for him. Indeed, his career as an elite heavyweight seemed to be in doubt as the bell rang to start Round 5. And then one perfect punch changed everything. Whyte fell flat on his back and had no hope of continuing, a major setback for him that gave new life to Povetkin’s career. Can he do it again? The oddsmakers don’t think so. They’ve made Whyte around a 3-1 favorite, which presumably was based on his recent history and the early rounds of the first fight. The Londoner had won 11 fights since he was stopped by Joshua in 2015, including victories over Dereck Chisora (twice), Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker and Oscar Rivas. And he seemed to be on his way to a stoppage against Povetkin. He had better get it right this time. It would be difficult to battle back from another loss. Povetkin will be motivated: If the Russian can pull off another upset, he will be in excellent position to get a big-money fight before he’s finished. The rematch was postponed multiple times, first when Povetkin tested positive for COVID-19 and then because of pandemic restrictions.
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