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Dillian Whyte knocks out Alexander Povetkin in Gibraltar following his 4th round victory. He has now regained his WBC Mandatory position and should be in line to take on the winner of Anthony Joshua –Tyson Fury pending duel.
Seven months after his last defeat in the hands of Povetkin, Dillian Whyte bludgeoned his way to quick and impressive revenge over Alexander Povetkin on the Iberian Peninsula of Gibraltar.
Whether Whyte will ever make for a fully convincing candidate for the heavyweight title is open to some debate. But for now, with this fourth-round exorcism of a career-halting ghost, his positioning as the WBC’s mandatory challenger is restored.
The manner of it was pretty brilliant, with Povetkin rattled by a hard right and then smashed into a stoppage by the left. That it came in the fourth carried some significance, for that was also the round in which Whyte twice dropped the Russian in August, only to let him off the hook and fall to that uppercut from hell a few minutes later.
This time, he left nothing to chance, though it ought to be noted that he was fighting an opponent who from the ring walks appeared to be a shadow of the force that won the world and Olympic titles. At 41, that is to be expected, and more so given his bout with COVID-19 in the months since he sprung an upset in Essex.
But that should take no credit from Whyte, who blended his usual malevolence with an effective jab and dominated each session of this fight. What next? That remains to be seen. Hearn suggested a fight with Deontay Wilder could be a target for the summer, and beyond the plan will doubtless involve his long-awaited shot at some or all of the titles currently held by Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
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For his part, Whyte said: ‘I believe I can be world champion, that I can beat anyone.’
On the fight, the 32-year-old added: ‘I made him pay. I was ready straight away (after the last fight). I’m sad it didn’t get finished in the first round.
‘If he wants a rematch, I will do it again. The first time, I shouldn’t have lost. I made a silly mistake and paid for it.
‘I was on to him this time and then said, “Let me relax.” He’s an Olympic gold medallist. I’m happy.’
It would seem that was not strictly the case. Whyte had wobbled Povetkin with his right hand within 45 seconds and twice more in the next minute or so in a rush of wild swings.
By the second, Povetkin’s left eye was swelling, though he also landed his first meaningful retaliation with a big right behind Whyte’s ear, which prompted the Brit to take a more measured approach with his jab. His patient control in the third of a quickly tiring opponent became decisive.
Into the fourth round and this time, there was no escape for Povetkin. He quickly swallowed a big right and was wobbled, and after another scare, the final and conclusive sequence commenced. It was started with a straight right that forced Povetkin against the ropes, and a looping right hook then sent him staggering and dazed across the ring. Just as the old man looked up, he collided with the big left that dropped him on his back.
He was gone, so it was waved off. For a man who talks a convincing game of nastiness, Whyte helped him onto his stool.
On the undercard, Campbell Hatton was a little raw and wild as he started his professional career with a points win over Jesus Ruiz.
Facing an opponent of no renown beyond his ability to take a beating on his feet, the son of Ricky Hatton had some success with lefts to the body. Also, he bloodied the Spaniard’s nose in the second session of the four-rounder.
Ruiz, who had lost all 10 of his previous fights but went the distance in nine, came close to dropping in the fourth but survived to prevent Hatton from recording a debut stoppage.
Hatton said, ‘I can do a lot better than that. The nerves got to me so that I will do better next time.’
