Dillian Whyte’s heavyweight rematch with Alexander Povetkin put back by three weeks and moved to Gibraltar due to Covid-related travel restrictions
- Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin will fight in Gibraltar on March 27
- Their rematch has been pushed back by three weeks due to travel restrictions
- The Body Snatcher was knocked out in devastating fashion in the first fight
Dillian Whyte’s heavyweight rematch with Alexander Povetkin has been put back to March 27 and will now take place in Gibraltar.
The 32-year-old was set to face the Russian at Wembley on March 6, but coronavirus-related travel restrictions have seen the fight pushed back by three weeks.
English fighter Whyte will be looking to avenge his surprise defeat to Povetkin last summer, when the 41-year-old twice got up from the canvas to knock out Whyte in the fifth round.
The rematch between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin will be on March 27 in Gibraltar
The Body Snatcher knocked his opponent down twice but lost in devastating fashion last year
Announcing the new date, promoter Eddie Hearn said: “In the current environment we are always having to think on our feet. We did everything to try and make 6 March happen, but with the new travel restrictions it was impossible.
“Now we have something outside the box, compelling, and a unique setting for one of the heavyweight fights of the year – roll on the Rumble on the Rock!”
A rematch between the pair was initially set for November, but was postponed due to the Russian contracting coronavirus.
Eddie Hearn announced the new rematch date and labelled the fight the Rumble on the Rock
The replacement date in January was considered but was once again pushed back, as Povetkin struggled to fully return to full fitness after being hospitalised.
The fight being pushed back by three weeks now to the end of March is due to travels situation being complicated by Whyte having his training camp in Portugal, which is on the UK Government’s ‘red list.’
It would mean the Body Snatcher having to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days on his return to the UK, a period that could not be spent in the fight bubble in the lead up to the bout.
When the fight does finally happen, it will be one that Dillian Whyte knows he has to win in order to get his career back on track after last year’s disappointment.
Whyte knows he must win the fight if he is to get his quest for a WBC title shot back on track
Whyte was on the verge of a shot at the WBC world title last summer when he faced Povetkin, having been the governing body’s number one challenger for over 1000 days and unable to secure a fight for the belt during that time.
He had the better of the Russian fighter for much of the first bout, knocking him down twice in the fourth round, but was on the receiving end of a stunning left uppercut from Povetkin which ended the fight in devastating fashion.
Povetkin has just lost once in his professional career – to Anthony Joshua, the man who gave Whyte his only defeat – but at 41 years old and coming off the back of contracting coronavirus, he will go into the rematch as the underdog despite his impressive victory last August.