Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin - 22 August 2020

[mickey1975]

Why not say “you’re going to have to take a pay cut”?

[gregregegg]

f theres no clash july 4th or no big fights before it i cant see how this wont easily make up for the lost gate. everyone is starved of sport. Especially if american sport isn't up and going, it would make 4th of July early afternoon a perfect time.

Id expect good UK PPV numbers, Every international sports channel putting in an offer just to get something Live on and in the USA dzan probly wont get many new subs but they will still have to pay well for it because they need Content and the sooner they get shows going the sooner people stop unsubbing/asking for refunded months.

Still not convinced this will happen 4th july, nothing iv seen sugests UK will be able to have boxing by then, But better to anounce then have to re pospone, than to miss the first cab off the rank.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Whyte-Povetkin, Taylor-Serrano on August 8 or 15, Fight Camp PPV

Dillian Whyte will face Alexander Povetkin on August 8 or 15 in a pay-per-view show that is also set to feature Katie Taylor putting her world lightweight titles on the line against seven-weight world champion Amanda Serrano.

Both fights had originally been scheduled for Manchester this month but were postponed because of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now they are lined up to go ahead as the fourth and final night of Matchroom’s behind-closed-doors Fight Camp in the grounds of the company headquarters in Brentwood, Essex.

Fight Camp now has a start date on July 18 or 25 and will run for four consecutive Saturday nights. Preparations moved a stage closer on Wednesday at a meeting with Arena Events – the company that built the temporary Diriyah Arena on the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for December’s Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz rematch – to finalise plans for the venue.

Eddie Hearn had originally planned to start the series of fights on July 4 but has now decided to push the start date back at least two weeks.

“When this all started, I was just thinking ’we have got to be the first back, we have to get started’,” Hearn told Boxing Scene. “As the planning and time has passed us by, I am starting to realise that the longer you leave it the fewer obstacles and barriers will be in place.

“But there is a fine line between making sure we get back promptly and making sure that we don’t give ourselves an impossible job or a job that would jeopardise the safety of the fighters or the quality of the show.

“What seems to be difficult in the UK compared to other places in the world is that people just aren’t in the gym. They are training, but not really. Private gyms re now open, but the Board (British Boxing Board of Control) are saying don’t spar yet.

“I started off thinking July 4, but then you realise that is six weeks away. I appreciate that some people are only going to need a month to get ready, but some people are going to need eight weeks. So I am looking at July 18 or 25 as our start date for the UK Fight Camp.”

The first show is likely to feature Terri Harper defending her WBC super-featherweight title against Natasha Jonas, while Povetkin and Serrano are the only boxer from outside the UK or Ireland that have been approached to box on the shows. With quarantine restrictions set to be imposed on people coming into the UK from June 8, both are likely to have to arrive in Great Britain at least two weeks before their bouts.

“I think it is going to look great,” Hearn said. “I didn’t want to do anything in a studio or a gym for multiple reasons. One, because it is going to look terrible, two, it is just is uncreative and not just what boxing is about, and three, for the fighters, as well.

“It is going to be very hard for them to get up for this in the way they do walking into a packed arena, or peaking at the right moment, but if you are in some kind of amphitheatre with the house lit up, London in the background, fireworks going off on the lawn, at least you feel your heart racing and you can get up for what might be the most important fight of your career.

“The venue is fine for ambulances and lorries and such, there is a clear path down the side of the house. There will not be masses of vehicles because there will only be about 90 people on site.

“I don’t want to come back like Top Rank are in America, with Shakur Stevenson against some bloke you have never heard of.

“It is challenging, there are loads of obstacles, it is expensive, but I feel this is something we are going to be remembered for, a bit like Wembley with Froch-Groves or Joshua-Klitschko. I’d like to be the one that came back with something different.”

Rescheduling the Whyte-Povetkin and Taylor-Serrano show to behind-closed-doors proved a more viable option than Oleksandr Usyk v Dereck Chisora, which is also currently seeking a new date, having originally been scheduled for the O2 Arena, London, last weekend.

“Whyte-Povetkin a smaller gate in Manchester and the costs are going to be a bit smaller because of the economies of scale,” Hearn said. “This will now be one of four events outside, compared to hiring Manchester Arena and lots of hotels and flights. We are cutting the card from ten fights to five fights. That will save some money.

“The sport has to move with the times. It is going to cost us £30,000 a show for testing, it is a lot of money. We have got no choice but to return, really, it is just a case of how much money you want to stick in.

“Hopefully in eight weeks’ time things will not be as difficult as they are now. We are planning like it is a military operation.”

As well as Harper v Jonas, other fights Hearn is hoping to make for the Fight Camp series include Anthony Fowler against former European welterweight champion Sam Eggington, Conor Benn against former British welterweight champion Johnny Garton and a clash between welterweight prospects Chris Kongo and Luther Clay.

“The bigger names are not going to come back, apart from Dillian Whyte who will be on fourth week,” Hearn said. “But, generally, I just want to put on a good card. Five fights a night, so no gimmee fights, no eight-rounders against some guy who was just brought it, they will be proper fights.”

[Verdi]

I see Povetkin as a superior boxer to Chisora and just as good a 'fighter' and before the KO Chisora was ahead on the cards. I reckon Povetkin has a good chance of winning this on points.

[bigjack]

Why not say “you’re going to have to take a pay cut”?

Exactly what I was thinking,pay cut or no pay at all.

[macademics]

I see Povetkin as a superior boxer to Chisora and just as good a 'fighter' and before the KO Chisora was ahead on the cards. I reckon Povetkin has a good chance of winning this on points.

Povetkin has got more then enough to make Whyte work hard to get the win. Just think that Dillian will edge it cos I feel that Pov will slightly gas and I wouldn't be surprised if they was some Matchroom cooking on the cards.

[Verdi]

If Whyte comes through Povetkin without trouble, where does he go from here?

I think this crossover fight with Nagannu makes sense. He'd earn a lot financially and will just be able to sit out his mandatory position, without risking an upset along the way.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Definitely not happening in July.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin set for August 22nd on DAZN



After seeing two planned dates fall through and seemingly getting the axe from Matchroom, the long-delayed heavyweight tussle between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin is back on track. Mike Coppinger reports that the two will cap off Matchroom’s Fight Camp series on August 22nd.

It remains as good a fight as when it was first booked; both remain top-flight heavyweights with a litany of strong performances under their belt and no losses to anyone below the division’s absolute elite.

There is, however, a possibility that the card lost its co-feature. Amanda Serrano, originally expected to co-headline against Katie Taylor, recently announced her refusal to accept a lowered purse and subsequent withdrawal. Both Lou DiBella and Eddie Hearn disputed her assertions, and Hearn now says that Serrano will get her “full purse” on a new August date.

[ThereByTheGrace]

The drug test results will show up everything but covid 19 in this fight!

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Camp concludes with an unmissable night of blockbuster action on Saturday August 22, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office, as Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) defends his WBC Interim Heavyweight World Title against Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) and Irish legend Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) defends her Undisputed Lightweight World Titles. There’s more Heavyweight action on offer as Martin Bakole (15-1, 12 KOs) returns to the ring against Russia’s Sergey Kuzmin (15-1, 11 KOs) and Luther Clay (13-1, 5 KOs) defends his WBO Global Welterweight Title against Chris Kongo (11-0, 6 KOs).

[knockout]

I’m sure Matchroom will be estimating figures of how you replace a 16-18k live gate paying an average of around £60-£70.
Generating around £960,000. If £20 cost of Ppv, original expectations could be around 100,000 so you would need an extra 48,000 PPV Buys to cover gate. This might be possible for the first big PPV but not many more..Overseas options with low Covid cases is surely more likely.

Indeed , Barry H is an accountant after all . They will know the numbers and like you say , no live gate money leaves a big hole in the show.

Plus Stub Hub and Matchroom must be furious not being able to make that extra special additional revenue on top

[Ruthless-RKO]

Whyte-Povetkin Was Moved To Avoid Champions League Clash

Eddie Hearn said the decision to switch the Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin fight back to August 22 was to avoid a clash with Champions League football.

Hearn’s Matchroom team was set to announce the fight for a week earlier, only for Uefa, the European football governing body, to announce a shortened conclusion to the Champions League, which would have seen the pay-per-view event clash with the competition’s quarter-finals.

Now the Fight Camp series, which will take place in the garden of the Matchroom headquarters in Essex, will begin on August 1, headlined by Sam Eggington and Ted Cheeseman, with the Whyte-Povetkin fight headlining the fourth and final event four weeks later, with Katie Taylor on the same bill.

“We were always going to go on July 25 (for the start of Fight Camp), but it was always based around what was the best Box Office night for Dillian Whyte,” Hearn said.

“Then the Champions League came out and said they were going to go August 8 and 15… it was a bit of a kick in the nuts, because we were supposed to go August 15,” Hearn said. “We moved to August 22, which meant we could also do the first night (August 1) after the Premier League has finished.

“I think that flows nicely for us. It gives the whole of August for Sky to say boxing is back.”

The August 22 bill, which will be on Sky Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the United States, is headlined by Whyte-Povetkin, with Taylor defending her undisputed world lightweight title in the chief support. Also on the bill is a heavyweight clash between Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin and a welterweight fight between Luther Clay and Chris Kongo.

A middleweight fight between Jason Quigley and Jack Cullen on the bill was scrapped when Quigley pulled out injured and Hearn said he has made an offer to Marcus Morrison to fill the gap. He also said he intends to add another heavyweight fight to the bill.

It means there will now be an August for Matchroom on both sides of the Atlantic, with the first Matchroom USA show now pinned down for August 15 and being announced next week. Hearn believes the fights could be better for having been put back a few weeks.

“I got to the stage where I thought ‘there is no rush’,” he said. “Fighters aren’t calling me saying they want to go Saturday. They want the time to prepare for this now and the longer we wait, the easier the restrictions will be.”

[Verdi]

I think think could well be Whyte's banana skin fight. Even at his age I'd put Povetkin above Parker and Rivas and certainly well above Chisora and Wach, all of whom he's had to go through hell to get the victory.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hennessy has announced his post covid card..



Pitters vs. Sugden has been re-scheduled..

Will now go head to head with Whyte vs. Povetkin

Free to air of course on Channel 5.

[Webbo911]

Hennessy has announced his post covid card..



Pitters vs. Sugden has been re-scheduled..

Will now go head to head with Whyte vs. Povetkin

Free to air of course on Channel 5.

Nice to have a bit of back up action in case my stream goes down. Absolutely won't be paying for Whyte Vs Povetkin.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Whyte vs Povetkin on August 22, live on Sky Sports Box Office

Katie Taylor requested a rematch against Delfine Persoon to clear up any controversy - and promoter Eddie Hearn is 'working hard' to finalise the fight for August 22.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

The biggest rematch in the history of women’s boxing has been confirmed for Matchroom Fight Camp as Katie Taylor defends her WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine Lightweight World Titles against Delfine Persoon on Saturday August 22, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) completed her fairy-tale journey from Olympic Gold to Undisputed Lightweight World Champion with a thrilling but controversial points win over Belgium’s Persoon on a historical night at the world-famous Madison Square Garden on the Joshua vs. Ruiz bill last year.

After a bloody and brutal battle that captivated the New York crowd, the Irish star added Persoon’s WBC belt to her IBF, WBO and WBA Titles to hold all four at 135lbs and cement her place as the number one Lightweight on the planet.

The 34-year-old went on to create more history at Manchester Arena in November when she dethroned WBO Super-Lightweight World Champion Christina Linardatou to become a two-weight World ruler – becoming only the third Irish boxer to win World Titles in two weight classes.

Persoon (44-2, 18 KOs) held the WBC strap for five years, making nine successful defences in that reign, before losing it to Taylor in a Fight of the Year contender. Despite losing on two of the judges’ scorecards, Persoon was convinced she’d won after ten rounds of relentless action and has been lobbying for a rematch ever since.

“With Amanda Serrano not taking the fight I wanted the biggest fight possible in August and I think a second Persoon fight is one that everyone wants to see,” said Taylor. “I’ve been looking forward to a rematch ever since the first fight and I’m delighted it’s been made. It was definitely very close first time around, but I felt I deserved the win and I intend to leave no doubts in the rematch.”

Persoon said: “I am ready to get the victory following the injustice last June in New York, not by words but in the ring – I am ready!”

“Wow! What a fight – what a night! To be honest I can’t quite believe this fight has been made, I can’t give enough credit to Katie and Delfine for agreeing to do it again,” said Eddie Hearn. “Since their epic Fight of the Year contender at MSG last year, everyone has wanted to see this once again and now we have it. I’m very proud to stage this fight especially at such a critical time for our sport – along with Whyte vs. Povetkin August 22 will be one not to forget.”

Adam Smith, Sky Sports Head of Boxing Development, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to confirm Katie Taylor’s eagerly awaited rematch against Delfine Persoon, with all the World Lightweight Titles on the line. Katie has called for a second fight ever since that thrilling first encounter when she received the verdict, much to the dismay of Persoon.

“They go again on the Whyte-Povetkin bill, which just got even bigger, and Katie will be determined to end any dispute with a resounding win. I’ve been speaking to Katie over the last few days and she’s more fired up than ever to show once again why she is a pound-for-pound star of the sport.

“Of course, we’ve also got Whyte’s high stakes showdown against Povetkin, with Dillian risking his WBC Mandatory Title shot. It’s repeat or revenge for Taylor and then Heavyweight fireworks in a fitting finale to Matchroom’s Fight Camp!”

Taylor vs. Persoon lands on the final week of Matchroom Fight Camp as Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) puts his WBC Interim Heavyweight World Title on the line against Russia’s Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) in a battle of the left hooks, Martin Bakole (15-1, 12 KOs) returns to the ring against Russia’s Sergey Kuzmin (15-1, 11 KOs) and Luther Clay (13-1, 5 KOs) defends his WBO Global Welterweight Title against Chris Kongo (11-0, 6 KOs).

[Ruthless-RKO]

Whyte Vows To Be Much Slimmer When He Faces Povetkin

Dillian Whyte has promised to be much slimmer for his upcoming return to the ring next month.

Whyte, the interim WBC heavyweight champion, weighed a whopping 271 pounds when he plodded to a points win over Mariusz Wach in Saudi Arabia, comfortably the heaviest of his career.

In the months leading up to that contest, Whyte explained that he packed on the pounds while dealing with a UKAD investigation in connection to an abnormal test result. Prior to his fight in December, he was cleared by UKAD, who withdrew the charge.

“That weight wasn't so much diet, it was stress going on,” Whyte said. “Stress affects people in two ways, it makes some people slim, it makes others put weight on.

“I have been cooking for myself for years and I know what I am doing but that was the stress of walking around like a zombie for six months.”

Whyte now has his eyes on a WBC title shot against Tyson Fury, which he hopes will follow if he beats Alexander Povetkin on August 22.

Since the lockdown began, Whyte has based himself in Portugal, which he said was a major factor in him splitting with his trainer, Mark Tibbs. But Whyte says the warm weather has helped him shed the excess pounds.

“The weather has definitely helped with the lockdown,” Whyte said. “There is a lot of good local food and a private gym for me and my team. I had 40 pounds to lose from my last fight so I have been working to lose it. Lockdown couldn’t have been any better.

“I’ve been able to work and chip away and stay motivated and stay stimulated. I don’t know how much weight I have lost, the training is going up now and I am a lot leaner than I was seven weeks out of the Wach fight.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

So he'll be on PEDS then..

[margaret thatcher]

Well I mean it should be pretty easy to slim down from last fight when dude was 275 or whatever, maybe he did some stress eating with the whole ped test thingy, was sporting some lovely titties wasnt he

[Ruthless-RKO]

Croatia's Alen Babic To Get Undercard Slot

Alen Babic looks set to return to the ring next month.

The Croatian heavyweight has not yet fought this calendar year.

Babic, 29, has a record of 3-0 and has finished all three of his pro outings early.

And the man who is managed by Dillian Whyte is expected to feature on his mentor’s undercard on August 22.

Whyte, the WBC interim heavyweight title holder, is back in action against former Anthony Joshua opponent Alexander Povetkin at the headquarters of Matchroom Boxing in Brentwoood, Essex and Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom MD who is promoting Whyte, has confirmed that Babic will get an outing on the card

“He will feature on the card,” Hearn told iFL TV in a recent interview. “We have got a couple more fights to add, actually, and we’ll be adding those early next week.

“Babic will be in a big step up fight and we have a few opponents in mind. He’s a good fighter and there’s a fighter who is up for fighting anyone and Dillian is up for putting him in with anyone.”

Tom Little, the Londoner who has been stopped by David Price and Daniel Dubois in previous contests, has been mentioned as a potential foe for Babic for the card, though nothing is yet set in stone.

Katie Taylor will defend her WBA, IBF, WBO, WBC and Ring Magazine world lightweight titles on the same card as Whyte’s clash against Povetkin in the Fight Camp series.

Amanda Serrano had been set to be in the opposite corner, but the former seven-weight world champion failed to agree to the fight and Taylor’s promoter Hearn instead secured a rematch between Taylor and Delfine Persoon for the date.

Persoon, from Belgium, was controversially outpointed by Taylor at Madison Square Garden in New York last June and the return is highly anticipated.

Martin Bakole, Whyte’s fellow heavyweight, will meet Russia’s Sergey Kuzmin on the card, while there is also a rescheduled clash between Luther Klay and Chris Kongo on the bill for the former’s WBO Global welterweight title.

[THEBUTCH]

Hennessy card for me !

[dookus]

Has Whyte got a boxing trainer yet?