Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin have both weighed-in and it has to be said how great both fighters looked on the scale. Whyte, perhaps looking better than ever, has clearly put in the gym-work, while Povetkin also looks to have cut no corners. Whyte tipped-in at a little over 252 pounds, while Povetkin came in at 224 exactly. Now, in a little over 24 hours, the fight, widely expected to be an all-out war, will begin. Whyte, the younger man by some margin, is the favorite to win yet nobody thinks it will be an easy or straightforward fight for either man.
Whyte says he is looking forward to bringing “chaos and violence,” while Povetkin, who says he still fully believes he can be world champion once again, says he is ready for anything. One man who has shared the ring with both Whyte and Povetkin and who stopped both of them, both in the seventh round, is current WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua. And AJ has a prediction that not too many people have come out with.
*** WATCH LIVE: WHYTE VS. POVETKIN, TAYLOR VS. PERSOON II TO STREAM LIVE ON DAZN FROM MATCHROOM FIGHT CAMP ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 AT 2 P.M. ET ***
In speaking with Sky Sports, Joshua said he sees a distance fight tomorrow night.
“Everyone has issues in training, if he [Whyte] trained right, he will come through,” Joshua said. “He is a fighter, Dillian. But Povetkin is a seriously skilled heavyweight – an Olympic gold medallist, a world champion whose only losses were against Klitschko and me. He’s good, a good fighter who hasn’t been in the losing end much so he hasn’t got used to that feeling. He still has the hunger and will go in against Dillian thinking he can win. It will go to a points decision.”
So it’s Whyte on points for AJ. Agree, disagree, find yourself thinking there is no way in hell this fight goes 12 full rounds? I for one disagree with Joshua, and take Whyte to get the stoppage win somewhere around the 7th or 8th round, but Whyte may well have to come through some seriously heavy stuff to get the win; maybe even get up from a trip to the canvas.
One thing everyone agrees on is this: no way will tomorrow night’s fight be a dull affair. Both men have everything to fight for and fight hard they will. Is it too much to hope for a Fight of The Year candidate tomorrow? For now, let’s all be grateful for the fact that the heavyweight divison is back up and running again (albeit with no crowd attendance tomorrow).
May the best man win.
