22 October 2020

Povetkin was hitting Chisora with uppercut in sparring before Whyte knockout - Haye

Alexander Povetkin was practising his left uppercut on Dereck Chisora in sparring before he knocked out Dillian Whyte with the same shot, according to David Haye.

Whyte dropped Povetkin twice in the fourth round of their clash on August 22, before the Russian ended the fight with a sensational shot in the fifth to knock his British opponent out cold.

Whyte and Povetkin will clash once again on November 21 (PA)

And Haye, who manages Chisora, has warned Whyte his rematch with Povetkin on November 21 is a huge risk as the punch that took him out in their first meeting was no fluke.

"It's a very dangerous fight and it's a fight that I think Dillian doesn't want to accept it was nothing other than a lucky punch," he told Sky Sports.

"He thought, 'I was winning the fight', which he was, 'I had him knocked down twice in the fourth round and I was winning the fifth round until I got hit by one shot and that was it'. Anything can happen in boxing, it happens in the heavyweight division.

"I don't think that's the mindset you need. You can't say, 'You won because it was an anomaly'. That left uppercut that he threw knocked out Carlos Takam, in a very even fight, in a very good toe-to-toe fight.

"It's a shot that he throws regularly. Derek was telling me when he sparred with him, he was getting hit with that shot, so it's one of his shots, and to get hit with someone's best shot isn't very lucky is it.

"The guy has got a big shot. It's like getting caught with Dillian Whyte's left hook. You know it's there if you can practise to go under it, if you throw your right hook to the body or not, or you can stand up and get knocked out."

Whyte has been praised for the quick turnover in taking the rematch as it will go ahead less than three months after the first fight.

As well as retribution, the pair are also fighting to become the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury’s WBC Heavyweight Title.

Whyte had been in line to receive a shot at the belt since 2017 before he was beaten by Povetkin.

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