Dillian Whyte’s world heavyweight title dream rests on defeating Alexander Povetkin in their rematch in Gibraltar on Saturday night.
Should Povetkin triumph a second time, Whyte’s world championship pretensions could effectively be over, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
Londoner Whyte was on the brink of a long-awaited WBC title shot when Russian veteran Povetkin twice rose from the canvas to stun him via fifth round KO last August.
Following two postponements, after Povetkin suffered a debilitating bout with Covid-19, the sequel finally takes place this weekend on the rock of Gibraltar, with Hearn acutely aware of what’s at stake for Whyte.
“Must-win, because Dillian Whyte’s aim is to win a world heavyweight championship,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “Dillian Whyte’s aim and our aim is to get him in the position to fight for the world heavyweight championship. Without that, I don’t think he has any interest, career-wise. That is the ultimate strategy, aim, focus.
“If he loses against Povetkin, that is out – and it’s not just out for six months or a year. That could be out forever.
“There’s a difference with Dillian Whyte in this camp. He’s gone back to his old ways. He’s more spiteful, he’s more short and sharp. He wants to do a job on Povetkin. But Povetkin comes into the fight surely with so much confidence. I know he went down twice in the [first] fight, but he did take Whyte clean off his feet and knock him out. He’ll be looking to do that again.
“I think it’s going to be a firefight. I think Whyte is going to go out there and try and impose himself on the fight and I think he’s going to try and knock out Povetkin in style. I think Povetkin will be thinking, ‘one shot, once again it’s over’. It’s going to be a tremendous fight.
“This time you will get the Dillian Whyte who was fighting with absolutely nothing. The guy who was so dangerous because you knew he’d be the last man standing. That’s the mentality he’s got for this fight. This time, he’ll have the attitude: when Povetkin is hurt, finish him.”