This week’s XBet boxing slate offers two title fights. Alexander Povetkin defends his WBC heavyweight belt against Dillian Whyte in Gibraltar, and Lennox Clarke and Willy Hutchinson will scrap over the vacant British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles. The first title fight is a rematch of a knockout win for Povetkin last year, while the second is Hutchinson’s first title fight, as he continues his swift climb as a promising boxing prospect from Scotland.
Take a look at the full slate of fights for the weekend, with Boxing betting odds, along with our thoughts about the key fights.
Boxing News: Top Fights for This Weekend
Saturday, March 27
- Jordan Ellison (+1100) vs Mark Chamberlain (-3000) – Lightweight, 8 rounds
- Des Newton (+1200) vs Eithan James (-4000) – Super Lightweight, 6 rounds
- Erik Pfeifer (-350) vs Nick Webb (+275) – Heavyweight
- Kane Baker (+240) vs Youseff Khoumari (-300) – Super Featherweight
- Eric Molina (+900) vs Fabio Wardley (-2000) – Heavyweight
- Evgeny Tishchenko (-900) vs Thabiso Mchunu (+450) – Cruiserweight, 12 rounds
- Nathan Gorman (-3000) vs Pavel Sour (+1000) – Heavyweight, 10 rounds
- Louie Lynn (-900) vs Sebastian Perez (+450) – Featherweight, 10 rounds
- Lennox Clarke (+500) vs Willy Hutchinson (-1000) – Super Middleweight Championship, 12 rounds
Hutchinson picked up three victories in 2020, and he has appeared to improve with each tilt. In August, he did not even need a full round to stop Ben Thomas, and he brought his fight with Jose Miguel Fandino to an end in a similar amount of time.
Clarke has primarily fought in smaller shows in Walsall and nearby areas, but his last fight, back in November 2019, was against Lerrone Richards for these same vacant titles. Clarke fought well but lost in a split decision. He has not fought since then, so rust is a real possibility. I expect Hutchinson to come out with his typical strategy of bringing big bombs, and I don’t see Clarke having the defense to avoid enough of them to get to the cards.
Final Prediction: Hutchinson wins via knockout
Ted Cheeseman (+150) vs James Metcalf (-180) – Super Welterweight, 12 rounds
- O/U 10 ½ rounds (O -275 / U +225)
Chris Kongo (-275) vs Michael McKinson (+225) – Welterweight, 10 rounds
- O/U 8 ½ rounds (O -255/ U +205)
Alexander Povetkin (+275) vs Dillian Whyte (-345) – Heavyweight Championship, 12 rounds
- O/U 7 ½ rounds (O -115 / U -105)
Povetkin won the first fight between these two pugilists back in August, turning back the clock to pull off the big upset. Povetkin’s career has spanned more than 15 years, but he has only lost twice, to Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua. He remains a dangerous fighter, with age and experience giving him the sort of savvy that makes a repeat an interesting choice. He has sound technique, and he can still bring bombs. Whyte does not have the best defenses in the division.
In the August fight, Whyte did knock Povetkin down twice in the fourth round before Povetkin turned things around with a vivid knockout. Povetkin has had to overcome COVID-19 between then and now, and reports indicate that his case was moderate, at best. The fact that he is willing to enter the ring again suggests that he has recovered, but it will be interesting to see how much he has in the tank in terms of stamina.
If you look back at the cards, Whyte had built up an early lead before that uppercut came out of nowhere and brought the fight to an end. That’s a reality of the heavyweight division, in that it just takes one bomb to change the trajectory of the whole day. If Whyte tries to bring the fight to Povetkin, he might end up getting knocked out again. Povetkin offers a considerable amount of value here, and given Whyte’s lack of defense, I’m taking him again.
Final Prediction: Povetkin wins via knockout
