DILLIAN WHYTE demanded to be kept away from Alexander Povetkin ahead of their Saturday night rematch in case the build-up spilled over into a Gi-brawl-tar.
Before the 32-year-old Brixton ace clashed with the Russian in August, they spent a week cramped into the same Brentwood Holiday Inn.
Whyte lived in a motorhome on the grounds – to almost comedic effect – to avoid bumping into his rival over breakfast.
But, after suffering a shock KO loss, he refused to let his nemesis aboard the Sunborn yacht his team has taken over for the Rumble on the Rock, and had Povetkin packed off to a local hotel.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed: “He wants to hurt Povetkin, for the first fight Dillian was in his Winnebago, he was all friendly, we played a bit of cricket.
“He doesn’t want that now. He has told me he doesn’t want to be around Povetkin, he doesn’t want to be bumping into him and saying hello.
“It was a bit awkward last time with the Holiday Inn but we had no choice.
“I wouldn’t say he got too comfortable, but when you have come from nothing and started making a load of money, and life changes, he is probably not as nasty as he was coming through.
“I think he has flipped a switch in the build up to this one. He is a bit shorter with people, he has that kind of mentality again.”
Hearn insists he was misquoted recently and clears up where a second consecutive defeat would leave his man.
The Matchoom chief admits he will be out of the heavyweight world title scene until 2023 if he suffers a ‘catastrophic’ second loss to Alexander Povetkin on Saturday.
The Brixton ace lost his mandatory position for a shot at Tyson Fury’s WBC belt with the Essex defeat and Hearn – now working on a two-fight deal for the Gypsy King and Anthony Joshua that will tie up the belts for another year – admits defeat in Gibraltar is almost unthinkable.
“IF Dillian Whyte loses then his world title dreams COULD be over forever,” he said.
“That’s a really big if, but if he does lose then he will not get a title shot in 2021 or even 2022.
“I think, realistically, another loss is catastrophic, back-to-back defeats.
“But I think it is good pressure to say ‘If I lose, I am f*****’”.
Watch Povetkin vs Whyte 2 on Saturday March 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
