This article was a preview of Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin, which took place on Saturday August 22, 2020. Their rematch – Povetkin vs Whyte 2 – will take place on Saturday March 27 so click here for full details.
Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin on Saturday August 22 in the biggest boxing match in Britain since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world of sport.
Whyte (27-1) is the current mandatory contender for Tyson Fury’s WBC world heavyweight title, and has been for some time. He recently took legal action against the WBC in a bid to assert his right to that title shot by the end of February 2021.
‘The Body Snatcher’ is keen to stay active in the meantime, and keen to fight anybody – as his willingness to take on a dangerous opponent like a former world champion in Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1) proves.
At stake in the bout between Whyte and Povetkin will be the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim world heavyweight title and that status as mandatory contender for the WBC world heavyweight title. Also the WBC Diamond Belt.
Whyte’s status was ratified by the WBC Covention on August 13, as the sanctioning body again stated he must face the winner of Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 for the hallowed green belt. Assuming he overcomes Povetkin of course.
You can follow every second of the action from Whyte vs Povetkin at Matchroom Fight Camp with our live round-by-round blog – which starts at 2000 BST.
Whyte vs Povetkin date, time and venue
Whyte vs Povetkin will be the main event on the final card of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Fight Camp on Saturday August 22.
The Fight Camp lasts for four weekends and is taking place in the grounds of Matchroom’s palatial headquarters in Brentwood, Essex – effectively Hearn’s back garden.
The bout – as with all the others at Fight Camp – will take place behind closed doors with no paying spectators in attendance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
It is expected that ring walks for the main event will begin between 2200 BST and 2300 BST (1700 and 1800 ET) while coverage on Sky Sports Box Office beginning at 1900 BST.
Whyte vs Povetkin TV channel and live stream
Whyte vs Povetkin will be aired live in the UK on Sky Sports Box Office as a pay-per-view fight with a price of £19.95.
Streaming platform DAZN will show Whyte vs Povetkin in the United States as part of its relationship with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. It will also air the bout live in its other eight current markets – Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, Spain and Brazil.
The DAZN service can be streamed live through all major platforms – including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles – and costs either $19.99 for a monthly subscription or $99 for an annual subscription.
At this stage DAZN is not available in the UK, though its owners have announced their intent to launch the service globally later this year with boxing again a major focus of their content.
???? Battle of the left hooks! ????@DillianWhyte v Alexander Povetkin – Who will land first?
???? Next Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 15, 2020
Whyte vs Povetkin weights
Dillian Whyte looked in terrific shape as he weighed in on Friday, tipping the scales at 252lbs (18st). That was some 19lbs lighter than the career-heaviest 271lbs for his last outing against Poland’s Mariusz Wach last December.
Alexander Povetkin meanwhile tipped the scales at 224lbs (16st) – some 5lbs lighter than for his draw against American Michael Hunter last December.
Whyte vs Povetkin odds
Dillian Whyte is currently a strong favourite to maintain his momentum and the pressure for that elusive WBC title shot against either Fury or Wilder (they will dispute the belt in a trilogy fight later this year).
Sky Bet make him their 1/4 jolly while Povetkin is an 11/4 shot with the draw a 22/1 chance. Whyte is even shorter in places at 2/9 and biggest with at 5/18 with Sportingbet. Povetkin meanwhile is as short as 5/2 in places, and top-priced at 3/1 in others.
Whyte vs Povetkin predictions
Our betting expert has previewed Saturday night’s showdown and you can read his full predictions here.
His standout value bet is the 3/1 offered by Sky Bet for Whyte to win between rounds 7-12.
Dillian Whyte record and profile
Dillian Whyte, known as ‘The Body Snatcher’, has fought 28 times professionally, registering 27 victories against just one defeat. Eighteen of those victories have come inside distance.
Whyte, born in Port Antonio, Jamaica on April 11, 1988, is now 32 years old and fights out of Brixton in London, England. He turned professional on May 13, 2011 and won his first 16 fights in the paid ranks.
Whyte’s first professional defeat – and his only one to date – came at the hands of current IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. The pair had a cracking scrap at London’s O2 Arena on December 12, 2015, with Whyte eventually going down to defeat via a seventh-round TKO.
Since that Joshua setback, Whyte has racked up 11 victories on the bounce and is now in position to prove his claim to greatness by clinching a world title – if only he gets that elusive shot.
Whyte stands 6ft 4ins tall and has a reach of 78 ins. He weighed in at a career-high 271lbs for his most recent about – a unanimous decision victory over Pole Mariusz Wach on the undercard to Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr 2 in Saudi Arabia on December 7, 2019.
Dillian will have north London trainer Xavier Miller heading up his corner for the first time against Povetkin – having split recently from Mark Tibbs. Whyte and Tibbs had teamed up for 11 straight victories since that loss to Joshua.
Alexander Povetkin record and profile
Alexander Povetkin has fought 38 times as a professional – registering 35 victories against two defeats with one draw. A total of 24 of Povetkin’s victories have come inside distance.
Povetkin was born in Kursk, Russa on September 2, 1979 and is currently 40 years old. He stands 6ft 2ins tall and has a reach of 75 ins. He weighed in at 229lbs at for his most recent bout – a draw against Michael Hunter on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr 2 in Saudi Arabia on December 7, 2019.
Povetkin became WBA world heavyweight champion when he scored a unanimous points victory over Ruslan Chagaev to claim the vacant title in Erfurt, Germany in August 2011. He defended the title successfully on four occasions.
The first defeat of Povetkin’s career came when he lost his WBA world heavyweight title to Wladimir Klitschko in Moscow, Russia on October 5, 2013. Klitschko claimed the belt with a victory by unanimous decision.
Povetkin did not taste defeat again until September 22, 2018 – when he was stopped by Anthony Joshua in his challenge for the IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles at London’s Wembley Stadium. Povetkin started well and gave Joshua problems in the early going, but his bigger and stronger opponent gradually took control before forcing a stoppage in round 7.
Whyte vs Povetkin undercard
Whyte vs Povetkin tops the bill for the August 22 Fight Camp card, but it isn’t the only excitement to look forward to that night. Notably, Irish great Katie Taylor (15-0, 6KOs) will defend her undisputed world lightweight title in an eagerly-awaited rematch with Delfine Persoon (44-2, 18KOs).
Taylor and Persoon met on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in June 2019 and produced a thrilling and ultimately controversial fight.
Katie dominated the early stages before a furious Persoon rally down the stretch left the result in doubt as it went to the scorecards. Taylor prevailed by majority decision and will now get the chance to settle the issue clearly once and for all.
Other key fights on the undercard include:
Luther Clay (13-1) vs Chris Kongo (11-0) , WBO Global Welterweight Championship (10 rounds)
Jack Cullen (18-2) vs Zak Chelli (7-1), Super-Middleweight (10 rounds)
Alen Babic (3-0) vs Shawndell Winters (13-3-9), Heavyweight (8 rounds)