A little over two years ago, heavyweight contenders Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora battled over 12 back-and-forth rounds to produce one of the best action fights of 2016. Whyte was awarded a somewhat controversial split decision, and the two meet again in a highly anticipated rematch on Saturday, December 22 at the O2 Arena in London.

Whyte-Chisora 2 Betting Odds

Bookmakers favor Whyte also defeat Chisora in the rematch. According to 888sport, Whyte is -335 with Chisora +240. Here’s how fans of boxing betting should approach the fight:

Whyte-Chisora 2 Betting Preview

First Fight an Epic Battle

Entering the contest with only a single loss on his ledger to rising star Anthony Joshua, Whyte was expected to down Chisora with relative ease, a fighter four years his senior who appeared on the slide.

While Chisora had been one of the most entertaining fighters on the British heavyweight scene over the course of his career, he was also known as a fighter who came up short in his biggest matchups. Moreover, Chisora’s best days as a heavyweight were supposedly behind him. Whyte, a fighter on the way up, was going to be tested but only a bit.

But the bout was a thrilling contest in which both men looked to be in trouble at various times in the fight. It ended up being one of the better heavyweight contest of the last decade. In the end, judges awarded the bout to Whyte by split decision. One judge liked Chisora 115-114, but the other two scored it for Whyte, 115-113 and 115-114.

What’s Happened Since

Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs), 30, has won four straight since defeating Chisora. He’s currently ranked among the top five heavyweights in the world by both The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

Defeating secondary contenders Robert Helenius and Lucas Browne was perhaps expected for a fighter of Whyte’s caliber, but his victory against former titleholder Joseph Parker in July was particularly helpful to the cause of getting him in more high-caliber action.

In that fight, Whyte proved he’s much more than just the large-bodied brawler many believed him to be. Against Parker, Whyte showed true boxing skill and to augment his already useful scuffle tactics.

Chisora, on the other hand, has fared slightly less successful. Save the unexpected knockout win over Carlos Takam in July, Chisora (29-8, 21 KOs), 34, has faced mostly middling competition, defeating Robert Filipovic and Zakaria Azzouzi while losing a majority decision to Agit Kabayel. While Chisora should get credit for knocking out Takam, it’s important to note Takam was probably headed towards a points victory before Chisora miraculously landed the knockout blow.

Best Bets for Whyte vs. Chisora 2

Whyte has improved greatly since slipping past Chisora two years ago. Many believe the former kickboxer is on his way to earning another shot at unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Joshua defeated Whyte by knockout in 2015. Both fighters have improved much since the clash. While that kind of thing was expected for a fighter of Joshua’s caliber, Whyte’s continued rise through the heavyweight ranks is a relative surprise.

The most likely outcome for Whyte versus Chisora is a win, perhaps by late stoppage. While during the first encounter Whyte relied heavily on grit and determination, he’s shown an uptick in counterpunching over the last few years and it should spell clear victory for him versus Chisora the second time around.

Backing Whyte at -335 is the easiest play, but those looking for greater returns should seriously consider Whyte by KO, TKO or DQ at +135. While Chisora is tough, he’s looked stoppable as of late and Whyte is the type of fighter who guns for knockouts over putting it in the judges’ hands.