By: Hans Themistode
Dillian Whyte doesn’t want any time off. From the moment his limp body bounced off the canvas, on August 22nd, against Alexander Povetkin, Whyte was begging to redeem himself.
The heavyweight contender officially got his wish earlier today as promoter Eddie Hearn announced a pay-per-view headlining rematch between the two on November 21st.
Everything seemed to be going right for Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs) during their first matchup. He was patient and countered well when needed. After two knockdowns in the fourth round from Whyte, fans began predicting who he would be facing next.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) landed one deleterious uppercut and the lights were immediately out well before Whyte’s head hit the mat. And just like that, years of working his way to the top of the division went down the drain.
He’ll do his best to reach back into that drain to retrieve what he believes belongs to him.
“I’m over the moon to have the rematch,” Whyte said in a press release. “As soon as I got out of the ring, I was looking for confirmation that the fight would be on. I can’t wait to get back in the ring and get back what is rightfully mine. I’m looking to do what I said I would the first time, and that’s beat Alexander Povetkin.”
Tape is often times a fighters best friend when it comes to rematches. The footage will show them what went wrong on the night and in the case of Whyte, how to avoid the left hook of Povetkin that ended his. Yet, Whyte isn’t interested in making any changes. The heavyweight contender simply believes that what happened the first time around won’t happen again.
“There won’t be any major adjustments, but I just need to be more switched on and not get distracted,” Whyte said. “He was able to use his experience against me. I will be a lot more focused and sharper in the rematch. I’m coming to win and knock him out. I’m coming to even the score, and the only way to do that is by knocking him out.”
Talking trash has always been a part of Whyte’s game, Povetkin on the other hand, not so much. So it came as no surprise that he heaped praise on Whyte while beginning his preparation.
“I’ve rested well, spent time with my family,” Povetkin said, “and now that the date of the rematch is known, I will soon return to my training camp and prepare as thoroughly as I did for the first fight. As I said before the first fight, and after it, too, Dillian Whyte is a good, strong boxer. I will be ready to enter the ring on November 21. I hope it will be another beautiful fight for the fans.”