Dillian Whyte Wants “Tear-Up” With Povetkin In April: I’m Not Going To Wait Another 800 Days [For Wilder]

Dillian Whyte is ready to rumble here in 2020, and put a frustrating 2019 behind him. A clean fighter all along and now proven as such before the world, Whyte wants to get busy working his way towards a world title shot. Not that he hasn’t already earned a shot. Looking for a different route now that he has been informed by The WBC that he will not get a mandatory crack at the green belt until February of 2021, Whyte says he is “not going to wait another 800 days [for a fight with Deontay Wilder.]”

Whyte wants to get himself a shot at one of the other belts (belts that could become vacant in the coming months, depending how things turn out), and his preferred next fight is an April battle with Alexander Povetkin. Whyte told Sky Sports earlier today how this fight, with a man who “doesn’t come to mess about,” appeals to him in a big way.

“He [Eddie Hearn] mentioned April 18 on an interview, so I guess that’s the date (for my next fight),” Whyte told Sky Sports. “Probably in London or Manchester, something like that. If he (Povetkin) want it, he can get it. It’s gonna be a tear-up, because he’s not really a mover and I’m not really a mover, so he’s a come forward fighter and I come forward. We’re going to have a scrap. Let’s see who has got the best left hook around.”

Whyte, 27-1(18) managed to get a fight in before the end of 2019, a points win over a game Mariusz Wach (this after that whole “failed test” farce after the Oscar Rivas fight in the summer), while Povetkin also fought on the bill in Saudi Arabia, boxing to a draw with Michael Hunter. How much has the Russian, who is 35-2-1(24) got left at age 40 (to Whyte’s 31)?

Whyte is probably right when he says this fight would be just that – a fight. Whyte is easily the most deserving world heavyweight title challenger out there, but he will have to risk his ranking and his record again in potentially tough fights if he’s to get that well deserved title shot any time soon.

Whyte has made it clear, he is sick of waiting around for a shot at the WBC belt, currently the property of Wilder.