Whyte: If I Land On Povetkin Early, It's Night, Night; But He Can Do The Same

Dillian Whyte knows he is plenty capable of joining Anthony Joshua as the only fighters to knock out Alexander Povetkin.

The brash British heavyweight also realizes Povektin, even at 40 years old, could just as easily join Joshua as the only opponents to stop him. The 32-year-old Whyte expressed respect for Povetkin during a press conference Thursday in Brentwood, England, where they’ll meet Saturday night in a 12-round fight for Whyte’s WBC interim heavyweight title.

“When I’m in shape, you’ve got problems, because I can do what I like to do,” Whyte said. “I don’t mind blowing up because I can recover, go again. Whatever he wants to do, I’m cool with it. I don’t like to make predictions. He is very experienced and can look after himself. He’s a tough guy. But listen, if I land early? It is night, night early. But he can do the same as well.”

London’s Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) and Russia’s Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) were supposed to meet May 2 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Their Sky Sports Box Office main event was postponed until July 4, and again until Saturday night, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whyte, who is listed as a 4-1 favorite, and Povetkin will square off on the grounds of Matchroom Boxing’s headquarters, without fans in attendance. Whyte must win to maintain his status as the WBC’s mandatory contender for champion Tyson Fury, yet Whyte understands overcoming Povetkin won’t be easy.

“I’m fighting a consummate professional, so I’m not bothered about Tyson Fury,” Whyte said. “I’m bothered about Povetkin. Povetkin is the most technical fighter I’ve fought. He has beaten a lot of top guys. He’s an Olympic gold medalist. He’s only lost two fights. When the bell goes, it doesn’t matter if there’s 100,000 people there or 100 people. You are zoned in.”

Povetkin has lost only to Wladimir Klitschko, the retired longtime champion who beat him by unanimous decision in October 2013, and Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs), the IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champion who stopped him in the seventh round in September 2018.

In his most recent appearance, Povetkin fought to a 12-round split draw with contender Michael Hunter (18-1-1, 12 KOs) on the Joshua-Andy Ruiz Jr. undercard December 7 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Whyte topped Poland’s Mariusz Wach (36-6, 19 KOs) by unanimous decision in a 10-rounder on that same undercard.

“I deal with pressure well,” Whyte said. “I could have taken an easier fight. These are the fights you need to grow. This guy has seen everything, probably 20 guys like me. … This motivates me. I will have to think more than I normally do. It gives me an extra edge.”

Whyte expects Povetkin to attack him as soon as their bout begins.

“I’m ready for chaos and violence,” Whyte said. “I am focused on Povetkin. I will try to hurt him from the first bell. It will be war – that’s what he does. The great thing is that we both do similar things. It’s up to me to do things to make the fight in my favor, and I am capable of that. He is more experienced, but I know how to fight, which isn’t something anyone can teach.”

Whyte-Povetkin will headline a Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view event in the United Kingdom (7 p.m. BST; £19.95). DAZN will stream the five-fight Whyte-Povetkin card in the United States (2 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT). 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.