Heavyweight contender Michael Hunter is backing Alexander Povetkin to come away with a victory on Saturday night at Matchroom's Fight Camp in Brentwood.
Povetkin will face WBC interim-champion Dillian Whyte, with the winner moving forward as the mandatory challenger to world champion Tyson Fury.
Hunter fought with Povetkin to a competitive draw back in December of 2019 in Saudi Arabia. On the same card, Whyte won a tougher than expected decision over Mariusz Wach.
"I think Dillian Whyte is going to have some trouble dealing with him," Hunter told Sky Sports. "I think Dillian Whyte is going to lose. I think Dillian Whyte is going to take an L.
"Povetkin will be there to get him. The fight will be at a decent pace. I think it's going to be an interesting fight to see, because the pace is going to be very similar, so I'm probably going to lean towards Povetkin."
"I think it's [knockout win for Povetkin] very possible. The percentage is high and that's why I think this is a good fight, because people want to see explosions and I think they're going to get it here, even if it's for two minutes, or it might be for the whole fight. We're looking for big punches thrown and I think that's what the fans are excited to see."
In their own contest, Hunter was able to give Povetkin a lot of problems in the early rounds, but the former WBA champion was able to rally back in the second half of the fight.
"He has a veteran experience that goes with him in the ring, definitely," said Hunter.
"Very subtle things that he knows what to do. He has a heart of a lion, that's for sure. Just that alone, a very difficult situation to deal with. I think I exposed a lot of stuff. I exposed that he can be easily knocked down in any round. I also exposed that he's not going to lay down. If you don't knock him out, then he's not going to be knocked out. He's not the one to worry about what should happen in that situation."
