DILLIAN WHYTE takes on Alexander Povetkin in a huge rematch as he looks to get his heavyweight world title hopes back on track TONIGHT.
The Body Snatcher, 32, was stunned by the former world champ Povetkin, 41, in Eddie Hearn's backyard in August 2020 and this time they clash over in Gibraltar.
- *Undercard on NOW
- TV/ live stream: Sky Sports Box Office
- Campbell Hatton making debut tonight
- Main event confirmed at no earlier than 10.15pm GMT
- Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar hosts the event
BETTING SPECIAL – GET 20/1 PRICE ON ONE+ KNOCKDOWN DURING WHYTE VS POVETKIN
Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
- James Orr
SON HAS ITS HAT ON
Ricky Hatton has been recalling his pro debut, with son Campbell's now just MINUTES away..
The Hitman said: “I certainly didn’t get a debut like this. Mine was in Widnes boxing in front of about nine people.
“It was a four-round float fight used to fill any gaps but every single fight went the distance.
"So instead of going on at 8pm I was on at half midnight and the only people there were my mum and dad and the fella sweeping up to close.
“As I was boxing I can remember the cleaners and caretaker picking up and stacking the chairs while I am trying to fight.
“I wasn’t even on the poster!
- Warren Chrismas
- James Orr
CAMPBELL HATTON UP NEXT
Ricky Hatton's son Campbell has his pro debut up NEXT in Gibraltar, facing Jesus Ruiz.
Campbell is trained by uncle Matthew and managed by dad Ricky.
Credit: /Mark Robinson2/
- James Orr
HERE TO POV IT
Alexander Povetkin has said he has the documents to prove he had Covid-19 after Dillian Whyte raised doubts about the Russian's medical record.
The heavyweight pair clash TONIGHT – but the rematch was originally set to November before being postponed.
Whyte, 32, doubted if he really had the illness, telling Sky Sports in November: “I personally don’t think he’s got Covid.
“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.”
But Povetkin, 41, responded by revealing he sent proof of his illness to promoter Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing staff.
He said, through his translator: “He can think and [say] whatever he wants, but we have the papers.
“We have documents with different analyses and the results. We actually sent it to Matchroom. So, this is not a case for discussion.”
- James Orr
WHO YA GOT? BIG FIGHT PREDICTIONS
Tony Bellew: “Dillian Whyte by KO inside eight rounds. He was on the way to a stoppage last time and just ran into a once in a career punch. That's all it was, in my opinion.
“There's no such thing as a lucky punch in boxing, because lucky punches don't happen. You throw a punch, it lands, if it was supposed to land.
“But there is such a thing as a once-in-a-lifetime punch. I don't think he'll ever be down and hurt the way he was and come back the way he did.
“In the rematch, when he goes down, Dillian will be a bit more patient this time, a lot less reckless, and he'll go in and flatten him.”
WINNER: Whyte by KO
- James Orr
WHO YA GOT? BIG FIGHT PREDICTIONS
Carl Froch: “I reckon he'll knock out Povetkin. Get him out of there within nine rounds.
“Whyte needs to stay switched on and concentrate for the whole fight. He could still get caught with a few shots, because Povetkin is tricky.
“But I'm confident that Whyte will do the business.”
WINNER: Whyte by KO
- James Orr
WHO YA GOT? BIG FIGHT PREDICTIONS
Anthony Joshua: “It’s easy to kind of curl up in a ball and hide away because there’s so much negative energy towards failure these days, but what he [Whyte] showed in his true strength.
“That’s why I think it’s going to be a really good fight. The second time around, even though I respect Povetkin so much, he’s an Olympic gold medalist, world champion; he’s only lost to [Wladimir] Klitschko and me.
“Dillian, the strength that he’s had to pick himself up, takes some doing. That kind of energy to take into the rematch will be the reason for his victory.”
Winner: WHYTE
- James Orr
WHY IS FIGHT TAKING PLACE IN GIBRALTAR?
Whyte has his fight training camps in Portugal.
The pay-per-view clash was moved from Wembley Arena to Gibraltar when travel restrictions between Portugal and the UK would have forced Whyte to quarantine for ten days in a designated hotel before the must-win clash.
- James Orr
TALE OF THE TAPE
How the fighters compare ahead of tonight's big main event…
- James Orr
TONIGHT'S FULL CARD
Expect a war when Ted Cheeseman takes on JJ Metcalf, while Campbell Hatton makes his pro debut.
- Ted Cheeseman vs JJ Metcalf (British super-welterweight title)
- Fabio Wardley vs Eric Molina (heavyweight)
- Youssef Khoumari vs Kane Baker (super-featherweight)
- Campbell Hatton vs Jesus Ruiz (debut)
- Chris Kongo vs Michael Mickinson (WBO global welterweight title)
- Nick Webb BT Eric Pfeifer (heavyweight) KO2
RUMBLE ON THE ROCK
Dillian Whyte takes on Alexander Povetkin tonight in a HUGE heavyweight rematch tonight in Gibraltar.
The Brixton Body Snatcher Whyte knows he must beat the Russian former world champ to get back into the heavyweight world title picture.
Back in August last summer, Whyte was stunned by Povetkin in promoter Eddie Hearn’s backyard at Matchroom Fight Camp.
The fight is taking place over in Gibraltar tonight as Whyte has his training camps in Portugal, and with the country on the red list he would have had to quarantine for 10 days if the fight was in the UK.
Whyte says Povetkin – who had been dropped twice – was about to be pulled out by his corner before his miracle punch last summer in their first fight, but Povetkin says this wasn’t the case.
Whyte said: “I lost to him but he was done – they were saying ‘we are pulling you out at the end of this round.
“They know him better than me. It’s hard for me to say what they were thinking, but don’t worry, I’ll try and help their hand this time. I definitely want to knock him out, one hundred percent.
Povetkin replied: "There was no such conversation in the corner [to stop the fight last time round].
“The people who know me know that I fight until the end. You can’t throw the towel in until the referee stops the fight.”
Elsewhere on the card, Campbell Hatton, son of the hitman Ricky, makes his pro debut.
Settle in for a MASSIVE night of boxing right here…
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