I’m going to beat Povetkin in style this time, insists Whyte

DILLIAN Whyte takes a balanced view of his shock knockout defeat to Alexander Povetkin but has vowed “all hell will break loose” if he gets the upper hand again in this month’s rematch, writes David Charlesworth.

The Brixton heavyweight knocked down his Russian opponent twice and seemed to be on the verge of a win that would have reinforced his position as the WBC’s mandatory challenger, only to be flattened himself in the fifth round. A vicious left uppercut sent Whyte crashing to the canvas as he was beaten for just the second time in a 29-fight career, but the Londoner, pictured, can avenge the defeat in the return bout on March 27 in Gibraltar.

Whyte overhauled his diet and training regimen after his loss to Anthony Joshua in 2015, but the 32-year-old revealed he has made very few adjustments from how he prepared for the first Povetkin fight.

Whyte said: “I’m going to get the win and get the win in style. I’m going for the knockout this time, 100 per cent. All hell will break loose if I knock him down this time, trust me.

“I can beat him, I was beating him before and I know I can beat him. I just want to get in there and put the wrong right. We’re not considering a loss, we’re daring to get the win. I wasn’t getting outclassed, it was just one of those things in heavyweight boxing. I was bossing it, I switched off and got caught. It hasn’t damaged me mentally or physically.”