Dillian Whyte says he will not look past the “dangerous” Alexander Povetkin and ahead to the dream of a potential WBC world heavyweight title shot.
The 32-year-old Whyte has been WBC mandatory contender for what seems an eternity – but is still waiting for that elusive title shot. And now he must safely negotiate a tough assignment against former WBA heavyweight king Povetkin at Eddie Hearn’s Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex on Saturday August 22.
‘The Body Snatcher’ (27-1) recently took legal action against the WBC in a bid to assert his right to a title challenge by the end of February 2021 – against whoever wins Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 later this year. But for now he’s put the focus right back on the dangerous road block presented by the 40-year-old Povetkin (35-2-1)
He told talkSPORT: “I’m not even worried about what’s after Povetkin, I’m worried about Povetkin. He’s dangerous. He says he’s ready to fight now and I’m expecting to see the best version of Povetkin yet.
“He’s a star and has made enough money to have his own private gym and his own set-up, or he would be just as comfortable training old school, too. I’m concentrating on him, because if I don’t beat them then all that other stuff doesn’t matter.”
Whyte explained why Povetkin will present such a stern test for him – explaining: “He’s probably the most technical fighter I’ve ever fought. He jabs well, he throws good right hands, he hits the body well and he’s got a killer left hook, a killer overhand right and that’s actually what rocked David Price early in their fight before he landed the left hook.
“He’s only ever lost to two reigning world champions. He lost to (Wladimir) Klitschko who was reigning strong at the time and (Anthony) Joshua who was reigning strong at the time, so it goes to show 40 something fights and only two losses, that’s no joke.”
While the uncertainty over when he would be able to fight next hasn’t exactly helped Whyte prepare, he says he’s found ways to get in shape after coming in at a career-heaviest 271lbs for his points victory over Poland’s Mariusz Wach in Saudi Arabia last December.
“It’s been tough because, obviously, the fight is on, then it’s not on, then there’s rescheduling and that, but for me, it’s been alright for me because I had weight to shift and I had to get into shape anyway. For me, it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t too much of an adjustment. Just keep training, keep getting better and improving. So I just did that in the meantime.”
