DILLIAN WHYTE was not caught with a ‘lucky punch’ by Alexander Povetkin – the star hit Dereck Chisora with the same brutal uppercut in training.
Bodysnatcher was shocked in August when he was caught with a huge punch by the Russian that knocked him out in the fifth.
Dillian Whyte was not caught by a ‘lucky punch’ against Alexander Povetkin during his KO loss in AugustCredit: Mark Robinson Ltd
However, David Haye is adamant that the secret weapon is something Povetkin has had in his arsenal for a while after his fighter Chisora sparred against him.
Whyte will get his rematch on November 21, and when asked about it, Haye told Sky Sports: “It’s a very dangerous fight and it’s a fight that I think Dillian doesn’t want to accept it was nothing other than a lucky punch.
“He thought, ‘I was winning the fight’, which he was, ‘I had him knocked down twice in the fourth round and I was winning the fifth round until I got hit by one shot and that was it’.
“Anything can happen in boxing, it happens in the heavyweight division.
“I don’t think that’s the mindset you need. You can’t say, ‘You won because it was an anomaly’.”
He continued: “That left uppercut that he threw knocked out Carlos Takam, in a very even fight, in a very good toe-to-toe fight.
“It’s a shot that he throws regularly. Derek was telling me when he sparred with him, he was getting hit with that shot, so it’s one of his shots, and to get hit with someone’s best shot isn’t very lucky is it.
“The guy has got a big shot. It’s like getting caught with Dillian Whyte’s left hook.
“You know it’s there if you can practise to go under it, if you throw your right hook to the body or not, or you can stand up and get knocked out.”
Dereck Chisora had it used on him several times while sparring with the RussianCredit: Instagram
But Haye believes Whyte, who lost his WBC interim title with the defeat, will bounce back with victory – if he makes tactical changes.
The former two-weight champ said: “I think he’ll win the rematch. I think he’s too fresh.
“He needs to make sure the issue that he had in that Povetkin fight doesn’t happen again and he can prove that, the same way that AJ did against Andy Ruiz Jr.
“You can learn. He didn’t have a deep wealth of amateur pedigree.
“He comes from a kickboxing background, a few amateur fights, and then he jumped straight into the pros and had to do it the hard way.
“He’s a seasoned guy, but he doesn’t have the technical pedigree that Anthony Joshua has – an Olympic gold medal.”
Haye added: “Povetkin is another Olympic gold medallist, so he needs to use his attributes which is rough, tough, physical.
“He was trying to get too close and have a technical back and forth and I’m like, ‘Why do you need to do that for?’
“Why don’t you do what you do best and that’s hit people with jabs and throw big, massive left hooks that knock people out?”
Tony Bellew says Dillian Whyte will one day lift the heavyweight championship as rematch with Alexander Povetkin set for November 21
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
