'If Ruiz can knock him out, I can' - Whyte still eyeing Joshua fight

Alexander Povetkin is next up for Dillian Whyte, who continues to crave another huge domestic bout with Anthony Joshua.

Published : Mar 22, 2020 19:46 IST

Dillian Whyte will next face Alexander Povetkin in a bout that is scheduled for May 2.
Dillian Whyte will next face Alexander Povetkin in a bout that is scheduled for May 2.
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Dillian Whyte will next face Alexander Povetkin in a bout that is scheduled for May 2.

Dillian Whyte has no doubt he could knock out Anthony Joshua if he were granted a huge domestic rematch with the heavyweight champion.

Ahead of his Manchester bout with Alexander Povetkin, presently scheduled for May 2, Whyte wants to maintain his momentum and earn a shot at fellow Briton Joshua.

IBF, WBA and WBO champion Joshua is the only person to have defeated Whyte (27-1), having knocked him out in 2015.

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But Whyte believes the outcome will be different in a second meeting, citing his superior skillset to Andy Ruiz Jr. Ruiz stunningly stopped Joshua in New York last June, only to lose the December rematch in Saudi Arabia.

"If Ruiz can knock him out, I can 100 per cent knock him out, because I'm a harder puncher than Andy Ruiz, pound-for-pound," Whyte said to Sky Sports .

"I've got better feet than him as well, and better boxing technique than Andy Ruiz. He's got fast hands, but his feet are slow.

"I've shown also in fights that I can come back from being down on the scorecards and I carry knockout power in the later stages of the fight as well, which is a big thing for a heavyweight.

"A lot of heavyweights can only get you in one to six rounds. If they don't get you early, then that's a wrap for them.

"I showed you that I can get you round one, round two, round three, round four, or even round 11 and round 12, I can get you," he said.

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Eager not to get lost in the shuffle once again, Whyte is mandatory champion for the WBC, whose champion Tyson Fury is pencilled in for a third battle with Deontay Wilder and is also being targeted by Joshua.

Oleksandr Usyk is another name in the heavyweight title mix, but amid multiple lucrative opportunities, there remains one standout for Whyte if he could pick an opponent to fight for all the belts.

"I would love to fight Joshua again, at a drop of a hat,” added Whyte.

"It's one of the biggest fights out there. I'm in the game to have the biggest fights and the most meaningful fights. I'm trying to make history.

"Imagine, to get one shot at all the marbles at once, how unreal that would be after all this nonsense - out of nowhere, me and Joshua fight, I knock him out and became undisputed champion of the world."

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