By Charles Brun: Dillian Whyte must beat Alexander Povetkin in their rematch on March 6th for him to continue to get the big fights. This is a must-win fight for #6 WBC Whyte, chose career could be facing oblivion if he loses.
The Matchroom promoter Hearn freely admits that he’s “nervous” about this match-up for Dillian (27-2, 18 KOs), as he knocked out by Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) last August.
Hearn is still stunned at how the hard-hitting Russian Povetkin came back after being dropped twice in the fourth round by Dillian to knock him out with a picture-perfect left uppercut in the fifth.
The form that Povetkin showed in throwing that punch was superb. Whyte dropped like he’d been shot after Povetkin landed that peach of a punch and the rest was history.
Hearn worried for Whyte
“I’m excited but very nervous,” said Hearn to the Pug & Copp Boxing Podcast about the March 6th rematch between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin. “Dillian has become a good friend. He’s become a real rugged individual.
“This is a guy that was paying for his own fights when he turned pro. He looked like a big favorite and particularly a big favorite after four rounds.
“It was one of the most stunning knockouts [by Povetkin] that I’ve ever seen. I know there was no crowd, but the people who were there were just numb, and this is such a big fight now for the career of Dillian Whyte.
“If he’s going to get that shot at a world title and he’s going to keep fighting these huge fights, he must beat Povetkin on March the 6th,” said Hearn.
It’s painfully obvious that Whyte can’t absorb another defeat and stay relevant as a pay-per-view fighter on Sky Box Office. He needs to turn things around and avenge his loss against the 41-year-old Povetkin to remain a PPV fighter.
What’s more important than Whyte’s future as a pay-per-view level-fighter in the United Kingdom is him winning the interim WBC heavyweight title to become the mandatory once again.
Whyte needs to regain that spot for him to stay in line to face the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury winner.
Deontay Wilder vs. Dillian Whyte on Hearn’s target list
“Dillian Whyte against Deontay Wilder,” said Hearn when asked what fight he’d like to make in 2021. “I love that fight.
“Listen, we all know that Dillian has got to take care of business on March 6th, and that’s going to be a tough rematch against Povetkin.
“We all know he [Whyte] wants a world title fight, but he’s been calling that out for four or five years. Not once did Wilder take the bait. In fact, I think Wilder once DM’d him, saying, ‘Just to let him know, you will never get the opportunity to fight me.’
“It’s that much goading, and now that Wilder has been defeated, he’s calling out Dillian Whyte as well. So we’ll see. Let those guys keep winning.
“If Dillian can’t get a world title fight later after the Povetkin fight, I would love to do that fight.
“It would be huge numbers in the UK, huge numbers in the U.S. The build-up would be immense, and it would be a real fun fight too,” said Hearn.
With the news of Deontay Wilder unlikely to get his third fight with Fury, Whyte is his best bet for a big payday in 2021. Hearn could be right about a fight between Wilder and Whyte having a chance of taking place this year.
Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) needs a stunning knockout over an A-level fighter like Whyte to put himself back in the hunt or a fight against Joshua or Fury.