Date: 20/07/2019
Venue: O2 Arena
TV: Sky Sports Box Office
Dillian Whyte can further enhance his claims for a heavyweight world title shot by taking out unbeaten Colombian Oscar Rivas at the O2 Arena in London.
The Body Snatcher has only suffered one defeat in 26 pro fights, when going down to Anthony Joshua with the British and Commonwealth belts on the line in December 2015.
Since then, he has rattled off nine straight victories and another convincing win would surely put him in line for a big pay-day versus one of the elite fighters.
Winning inside the distance would be an added bonus, so 69/50 for that to happen is our first Whyte vs Rivas prediction.
Whyte was taken the full 12 rounds by the skilful Joseph Parker around this time last year, but did have the Kiwi on the canvas twice in that gruelling contest.
The Brixton boxer then ended his grudge rematch with Derek Chisora via a brutal late knockout and is unfortunate not to already be fighting for a world title.
Instead, he must come through another high-risk contest to protect his position as the WBC’s number one contender.
Facing such a dangerous foe should keep Whyte on his toes, though, with all thoughts of a potential crack at champion Deontay Wilder put on hold for now.
“When you’ve got a dangerous opponent who can bust you up, it’s easy to focus on that,” said Whyte.
Looking at the Whyte vs Rivas odds, we like 16/1 for the Londoner to win in round seven, with a saver on round eight at the same price.
Rivas is also on a roll
Rivas was a more than useful amateur, with a 16-4 triumph over Joshua’s recent surprise conqueror Andy Ruiz helping him to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.
In Beijing, he beat European champion Kubrat Pulev but then lost to eventual gold medallist Roberto Cammarelle.
The Colombian moved to Canada to carve out a pro career and has been well managed in establishing a 26-0 record, with 18 wins coming inside the distance.
There aren’t many notable names on his CV, but January’s 12th-round stoppage of Bryant Jennings has to be respected, as the American once challenged Wladimir Klitschko, only to suffer a wide-margin points defeat.
At 6ft, Rivas is relatively short for a heavyweight, but his style of getting in underneath his opponents has been likened to that of Mike Tyson.
Whyte admitted to Sky Sports: “He’s undefeated, a top amateur, and you can see he’s got a certain spark in his eye. He’s got that arrogance of never losing.
“He’s thinking, ‘I’ve been in the ring 26 times, I’ve defeated 26 opponents’. He feels unstoppable right now.”
Plenty of pundits are predicting the underdog will put up a brave effort, but we just feel Whyte will have the edge in power needed to break him down.
Let’s finish off our Whyte vs Rivas betting tips by taking 7/5 for this bout to last less than 10 rounds.
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