British heavyweight Dillian Whyte returns to the ring tonight in an intriguing contest against the undefeated Oscar Rivas of Colombia at the O2 Arena.
The stakes are high for the bout in London after confirmation that the winner will become the mandatory challenger for Deontay Wilder's WBC belt and also claim the 'interim' championship.
The chief support for the fight is an intriguing domestic heavyweight clash between Dave Allen and David Price.
One of the most popular UK fighters around, Allen is refocused and re-energised, working alongside former middleweight world champion Darren Barker and is hopeful of hauling himself into the world title picture.
At 36, Price is very much moving in the other direction. Once British boxing’s great heavyweight hope, the Liverpudlian has lost three of his last six fights, including that devastating knockout to Alexander Povetkin in March 2018.
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TV channel and live stream
Whyte vs Rivas will be live on Sky Sports Box Office.
UK customers can purchase the fight for £19.95 (€24.95 for those in the Republic of Ireland) up until midnight on Friday July 19.
Those prices still apply to self-service bookings (remote control and online) made after that time, but telephone bookings are set at £24.95 (€29.95 ROI). Sky note that "an additional £2 booking fee if via an agent still applies".
Undercard coverage begins at 6pm BST.
Date, UK start time and venue
Whyte vs Rivas takes place on Saturday July 20 at The O2 Arena in southeast London.
Ringwalks for the main event are not expected to take place before 10:30pm BST.
Prediction
A potentially explosive bout between two huge punchers certainly should not go the distance and, while Whyte will start as the clear favourite, he will need to be careful not to underestimate a dangerous opponent in Rivas who Tony Bellew has compared to a less-talented Mike Tyson for his power and 'short, stout style'.
After spending so long as the WBC's No1-ranked contender, it is hard to see 'The Body Snatcher' letting this golden opportunity slip through his grasp.
Whyte to win via a typically devastating knockout in the mid-to-late rounds.
Undercard
In addition to Whyte-Rivas and Allen-Price, London cruiserweight Lawrence Okolie also defends his WBA continental strap against Mariano Angel Gudino of Argentina.
- Dave Allen vs David Price
- Dereck Chisora vs Artur Szpilka
- Lawrence Okolie vs Mariano Angel Gudino
- Richard Riakporhe vs Chris Billam-Smith
- Charlie Duffield vs Dan Azeez
- Fabio Wardley vs Mariano Ruben Diaz Strunz
- Dalton Smith vs Reece Smith
- Alen Babic vs Morgan Dessaux
