Rumble on the Rock – Povetkin v Whyte at end of March

THERE has been a lot of interest in the return match between Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin and British title hope Dillian Whyte and now it will be held in Gibraltar.

Whyte was knocked out by the Russian last year which ruined his chances of a title fight against Tyson Fury so he has to get his revenge if he wants to remain in the top flight of heavyweight boxing.

Originally planned to be fought in the UK possibly in promoter Barry Hearn’s Matchroom HQ back garden where Whyte lost to Povetkin, there was a problem as Whyte is training in Portugal.

As Portugal is now on the British Government red list, Whyte would have to go into isolation in a UK hotel if he returned for the match.

According to a tweet from Barry Hearn, he has been “thinking outside the box” which is why the televised bout will take place (almost certainly behind locked doors) in Gibraltar on March 27 as in theory there is no restriction in entering after leaving Portugal and he will either fly on a charter direct to Gibraltar or enter via the land border with Spain.

With coverage due to take place on Sky Sports, this is a good piece for free publicity for Gibraltar and its tourist trade and might spark interest from other sports promoters as the Government is able to ease restrictions caused by Covid-19 infections which continue to drop.

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