Warren Says Whyte Shouldn’t Come Back Too Quick After KO Loss

Warren Says Whyte Shouldn’t Come Back Too Quick After KO Loss

Warren Says Whyte Shouldn’t Come Back Too Quick After KO Loss

Warren Says Whyte Shouldn’t Come Back Too Quick After KO Loss

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Frank Warren believes that Dillian Whyte could be making a big mistake if he tries to return to the ring too soon to face Alexander Povetkin in a rematch.
Warren feels that with the way that Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs) was knocked out by Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) in the 5th round of their fight on August 22, it would be risky for him to return to the ring for a second fight.

Whyte’s promoter Eddie Hearn is talking about wanting to bring him back in November against Povetkin, as he believes there’s still an outside chance for him to get a title shot against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in early 2021.Before Whyte’s knockout loss to Povetkin, he was assured by the World Boxing Council that he would be given a title shot by February as part of his mandatory status.

Warren says Whyte is no longer mandatory with the WBC, and even if he beats Povetkin in a rematch in the fall, he would still need to wait a year for him to get the title shot at the WBC belt.

In other words, Whyte doesn’t need to return to the ring to fight Povetkin because he’s not going to get the title shot against Fury in the first half of next year. It would be better for Whyte to rest up from his knockout, and make sure he’s 100% when he faces Povetkin in their rematch.Whyte Lost His Position With The WBC
“It was a tremendous knockout. He looked like he was in control of the fight, and he put Povetkin down a couple of times,” said promoter Frank Warren to BT Sport Boxing. “But Povetkin is a wily old character.

“He’s got massive experience, and he’s an Olympian. He’s 40-years of age, but he’s not like someone with a lot of miles on the clock. I don’t think that was a smart move for them to make that fight.“He’s the mandatory. What was that all about? I didn’t get that, and I don’t know who was advising him of that. I don’t understand what Dillian Whyte is. He constantly moans that he’s been 1000 days number one,” said Frank.

Frank is right. It was an odd move for Whyte to face Povetkin last Saturday night when he was already assured of a title shot against WBC champion Fury.

Whyte didn’t need to take a risky fight with Povetkin, and now it’s cost him big time. Povetkin is currently the WBC mandatory, and Whyte is going to have to try and beat him in the rematch that gains that position back.It might be smarter for Whyte to forget about Povetkin, and focus on building himself back up the traditional way by fighting lower-level opposition.

Whyte must make sure that’s fully recovered from the knockout that he suffered against the former WBA heavyweight champion Povetkin, as he was out cold.

Whyte and his promoter Eddie Hearn are talking about him resting for three weeks, and then starting camp for a rematch with Alexander in November. That would be a terrible idea potentially for Whyte not only with the risk involved but also the money.If Whyte fights in November, he won’t likely have a live gate. But if he waits to face Povetkin in February or March, he can take advantage of the boxing fans being allowed back. If Whyte is going to risk suffering another loss to Povetkin, he should make sure he’s getting paid well.

Dillian’s Health Matters
“He’s had opportunities to fight for a world title. He hasn’t taken them,” said Warren about Dillian. “He’s had opportunities to move on, and he hasn’t done that. I don’t know who advises him, and even now, they’re advising him to be back in the ring in November.

“This guy got seriously knocked out with oxygen and everything. The Board of Control normally says it’s 28 to 30 days before you can get back in. That type of knockout, it’s usually 40 days. Why would you be putting him back in the ring if you cared about him?

“I’m sure he wants t do it, but everyone around him should be saying, ‘hold on a minute. You shouldn’t be doing that. It’s your health that matters.‘ In their mind, I know where they’re coming from. If he beats Povetkin, it’s back to where it was, but it won’t.

“He’s lost that position as mandatory, and the WBC has said Povetkin in a year’s time. So even if he beats Povetkin, it’s a year’s time. So he doesn’t need to be rushing into anything at the moment. It would be crazy for him to do it,” said Warren.

There’s no reason for Whyte to return to the ring before the end of 2020 to face Povetkin again, as he’s not going to get a title shot against Fury in the first part of 2021.

The only sound rationale for Whyte returning within three months to face Povetkin again would be for his own peace of mind. If Whyte to show boxing fans that his loss to Povetkin was just a fluke thing, then it makes sense for him to fight him again this year.

It would be a dumb move on Whyte’s part in taking that path, but one could understand him doing so.Even boxing great Lennox Lewis took seven months off before facing Hasim Rahman in a rematch in November 2001 to avenge his 5th round knockout from April 2001. Lewis wasn’t trying to come back within three months to face Rahman again.

Whyte Was Bound To Get KO’d
“The knockout was always an accident waiting to happen,” Warren continued. “He’s very brave, and he’s been involved in some really exciting fights because he gets caught. He’s been on the floor a few times. He went life and death twice with Dereck Chisora.

“In the first fight, I thought Dereck actually won it, although he got the decision, Dillian. In the second fight, he was behind and pulled it out of the bag with a tremendous finish and stopped Chisora. Look what Tyson did against Chisora.

“Dereck didn’t win a second of any round, and I pulled him out. He should have been pulled out a couple of rounds before. So it’s levels, as Tyson said in an interview last weekend.

“It’s all about levels. It’s crazy. When I look at what he’s done and where he is now, he might have earned a few quid from the fights he’s been in, but it’s nothing from what he could have got if he’s waited, taken his time and taken his opportunities when he was #1 with the WBO and when he was mandatory to Tyson. He should have sat back and made it happen,” said Frank.

Dillian looked like he was heading towards a knockout loss after his struggles to beat Oscar Rivas, Joseph Parker, Dereck Chisora, and Mariuz Wach. None of those fights were easy for Whyte, and he was hurt in several of them.When you’re dominating that level of opposition, it suggests that it’s only a matter of time before you’re going to get beaten.

Surprisingly, Whyte lasted as long as he did before getting beaten again because he looked ready to be stopped in the Rivas and Parker fights.