WBC interim-heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin of Russia is completing his preparations for the upcoming rematch with British contender Dillian White, which after several postponements will take place on March 27 in Gibraltar.

In August of last year, Povetkin was dropped twice in the fourth round - but then landed a perfect uppercut to knock Whyte out cold in the fifth.

They were initially scheduled to have the rematch in November of last year, and then in January - but both dates were pushed back due to Povetkin dealing with the effects of COVID-19.

Povetkin is pleased with his camp and feels confident in his ability to win the rematch.

“I assess the preparation in a positive manner, I feel good. There were problems after the coronavirus, but we fixed them all. It was hard to get involved in the training process after the illness, but everything is normal now," Povetkin told Izvestia.

“[Sparring was] surprisingly good. I am glad that Magomedrasul Majidov came and helped me have good sparring and training sessions."

Povetkin worked hard to fix his defensive gaps, which allowed Whyte to score two knockdowns.

“Yes, I worked on defense. We worked on it in camp: in order to punch from angles - to dodge and punch. I will try not to leave myself open as much. Fighting and training are two completely different things, but I think we have definitely fixed things. We worked out different combinations - doing them from below and from the side. [Whyte] loves to hit from below in the opposite direction. We worked hard to nullify his punches and respond quickly with our own," Povetkin said.

"Honestly, I try not to think about [the fact that I already knocked him out]. What happened in the past is already gone. I'm looking at the goal: the fight is coming soon, and I need to get to it. I understand that [what's waiting for me] is a good strong boxer. I have to take a responsible approach to the fight, prepare, and it is necessary to show beautiful boxing.

"I don't think that if I knocked him out in the first fight, it means that that I will definitely knock him out again in the second. If you think like that, you will definitely lose. And I never go out to lose. Anything can happen, but I always go out to win."