Alexander Povetkin's promoter reveals Russian heavyweight's victory dependent WBC world title plans

Team Povetkin: " We will enforce WBC mandatory shot with Whyte victory"

Alexander Povetkin's promoter Andrey Ryabinskiy has reiterated the Russian heavyweight's plans to derail Dillian Whyte's career and move on to a WBC world title shot.

Povetkin currently holds the WBC interim world title and will maintain his status as mandatory challenger with a victory in Gibraltar on Saturday night, while removing Whyte as a top level heavyweight contender in the process.

With all eyes on the Rumble on the Rock, Ryabinsky told Metro.com that his camp has not under estimated the return of the British heavyweight, and has revealed his fighter will be looking for the explosive stoppage once again in-front of a 500 strong crowd.

He said: "Of course, this is a risk for Dillian, probably even greater than in the first match, because two consecutive defeats will greatly slow down his career. As for psychological aspects, it is difficult to say, everything is very individual. We would certainly like this to affect his actions in the rematch, but only the fight will prove us right or wrong.

"[The knockout is] not forgotten of course, but boxers manage such situations differently. There will be a rematch, so we’ll see. That victory being in the past we shall not underestimate Whyte. Alexander is generally a very calm and very confident person. I don’t think that he will [become complacent] after such a knockout, and will think that the victory is already out [of his mind]. In the rematch, he will have to start over."

"Any boxer and promoter wants to win ahead of time, but we know that victory is the result of preparation, not underestimation of the opponent. Dillian was dangerous before the first fight, and remains a dangerous opponent."

With a WBC shot being so close but so far for Povetkin's opponent, Ryabinsky has revealed his sole intention will be to make sure that the 41-year-old will gain another world title shot for the first time since his defeat to Anthony Joshua.

"Naturally a victory will demonstrate that ‘Sasha’ is one of the leading contenders for a world champion title,’ Ryabinskiy continued. ‘Once again in many consecutive years ‘Sasha’ will prove that he belongs to the very elite of the heavyweight division. ‘I am sure that the victory in the rematch will make it clear to everyone that Alexander deserves another fight for the world title. And I hope that the WBC will not delay the appointment of a mandatory title defence.

"But, as I understand it, everyone is already looking forward to the fight between Fury and Joshua, and it will be difficult to interfere in this process. In general, in the last two years in the heavyweight division, there has been such a dynamic that it is difficult to predict anything."

Despite winning in ruthless fashion, Povetkin was sent crashing to the canvas twice in the previous round and recieved crisis talks in his corner to try and salvage the fight after remaining determined to stay in the ring.

And Ryabinsky remains convinced that Povetkin will not be fazed by his opponent's power and will focus on his own style.

"There were knockdowns, but they weren’t heavy. ‘Sasha’ immediately after the fight said that he did not feel weak after them, on the contrary, they set him up in the right way, forcing him to gather and concentrate."

 

READ MORE: All you need to know ahead of Alexander Povetkin vs Dillian Whyte 2

 

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