Dillian Whyte looked good Friday on scale for Povetkin

With his Heavyweight contender battle to cap off the “Fight Camp” series from Matchroom Boxing Saturday night, there had been big concerns about what kind of shape Dillian Whyte would be in for his main even bout?

Well, at 27 – 1, the number one Contender for the WBC answered his critics by simply stepping on the scale Friday afternoon at the Matchroom HQ.  White weighed just a touch over over 18 stone or 252 lb., which is significantly down from his previous bout in December:

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⚖️ @DillianWhyte: 18st 6oz
Alexander Povetkin: 16st ⚖️#FightCamp #WhytePovetkin #FightCamp4

Watch live: https://t.co/GYWBjr2QLQ pic.twitter.com/FkeGJ9Jk5u

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 21, 2020

That’s when the Brit appeared significantly “blubbery around the mid-section” and was 271 lb. for his dull 12-round decision with Mariusz Wach on the undercard of Joshua-Ruiz II in Saudi Arabia.

The weight is also lower than White’s previous fights with Oscar Rivas and Joseph Parker, thus indicating he took his training seriously even during the Covid 19 pandemic.

We wrote previously that White had driven over 40 hours from England to Portugal in mid-March to be able to train during the pandemic, while there was lockdown in the UK. And he stayed there, for some  three months this past Spring and early Summer.

White definitely has the weight advantage still over the smaller Russian, former IBF Heavyweight champion, Alexander Povetkin. Povetkin weighed in at 16 stone or 224 lb. Friday.

Whyte’s weight will be met with skepticism, as it should, as he has twice tested positive for PEDs previously, including a pre-fight test before his fight with Rivas.

The forty-year-old Povetkin, who also has been suspended twice for previous PED violations, is the definitive Underdog in this matchup coming on Saturday night.

Hear us discuss #WhytePovetkin at length on this edition of the Big Fight Weekend Podcast below:

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Whyte battles Povetkin, who is 35-2-1, Saturday with both fighters having previously been stopped by current Unified Heavyweight champ, Anthony Joshua. White actually lost to Joshua in a rising contender battle before he was Champ in 2015. Povetkin was stopped by Joshua taking his IBF belt in 2018.

The winner is hoping for a possible rematch with Joshua or to get a shot at WBC champ, Tyson Fury, down the road in 2021.

The different variable for Saturday night’s finale’ of “Fight Camp” is that for the first time it won’t be offered on the basic cable addition of Sky Sports, but rather, a pay-per-view in the U.K. for $19.95. The fights will be live on the DAZN streaming service in the U.S.

The co-main event is the Women’s Undisputed Lightweight Title rematch between unbeaten champ, Katie Taylor of Ireland, and Delphine Persoon of Germany.

They fought a very competitive 10 battle last June at Madison Square Garden with Taylor winning.