Saturday @ O2. WBC heavyweight title eliminator. Whyte is the number one contender, and Rivas is ranked #10. Whyte is also WBO & WBA #3, while Rivas is WBA #7, IBF #8, and WBO #5. As usual, the burden of creating a properly formulated poll thread (@Dance84 made one for this match-up last month but neglected to put an end date) falls upon my shoulders.
Rivas KO. I don’t think Whyte has an answer to Rivas’ well educated and aggressive counter punching style besides hoping he gets tired and sloppy. Whyte deserves credit for taking this fight though, and he’ll deserve a lot more of he somehow pulls it off. I’m not looking forward to people making fun of him for losing to “some random bum.” Rivas is aptly named, and far and away one the better fighters in the division.
But Whyte won’t gain any new credit when he wins... just more eyes Rolling and more eye twitching with bitterness. Good fight either way... expect Rivas to come on strong and swarm Whyte early on. Whyte should weather the storm and break down Rivas providing he doesn’t get sloppy on exchanges.
Whyte is awkward, coupled with the fact that he's a decent puncher, makes it extremely difficult to bet against him. Still think Rivas stops him late, though.
Rivas hasn't had to go through the level of opponents that Whyte has. Jennings was his first legitimate opponent. Whyte in his own backyard, having been seasoned by fighting the best should over power Rivas.
Exactly my thinking, that seasoned experience doesn’t come cheap or over night, and Rivas hasn’t had enough of it...Whyte’s been in extremely challenging fights.
