The match up between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin was interesting from the minute it was announced. Povetkin has shown signs of ageing in his last two fights but still proved he had great heart against Michael Hunter and then he could still deal with taller fighters against Hughie Fury. Whyte was on an unprecedented winning streak that saw him beat Chisora twice, Joseph Parker and Oscar Rivas, three top 15 heavyweight opponents which should have seen him get a world title shot ages ago. I thought that Whyte would win by stoppage in the mid to late rounds, and my prediction looked to be coming true in the 4th round as Whyte dropped Povetkin twice. Going into the 5th round I had Whyte winning 38-36, and thought Povetkin would start to fade. But boxing instinct and experience won Povetkin that fight. Jab, slip, uppercut, KO. Povetkin may not be as fast as he was 5 years ago, but that level of boxing instinct is only gained from years and years of experience. Let’s not forget that Povetkin won gold at the 2004 Olympics, and while he has never been able to become world champion (I don’t count the WBA ‘Regular’ title as a proper world title), he has consistently been at the top of the heavyweight division for the last decade.
Povetkin’s only two losses have come against Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua. Two heavyweight powerhouses at the top of their game. Klitschko completely shut out Povetkin and the Russian wasn’t able to win a single round on the judges scorecards, but he got up off the canvas 4 times, managing to hear the final bell, proving his heart. Povetkin gave Joshua a lot of trouble in the early rounds of their fight, rocking AJ at the end of the 1st round, and I scored the first 3 rounds for the Russian, but ultimately he succumbed to the champions insane power in the 7th round. The only other blemish on Povetkin’s record came in a draw against Michael Hunter last December. Hunter was battering Povetkin early in the fight and could’ve easily stopped him, but Povetkin fought back and came on strong in the mid to late rounds to salvage a draw. It really is remarkable that he’s continued to compete at the highest level for this long. At 40 years old, most heavyweights aren’t knocking out top 5 level fighters, but Povetkin is bucking this trend and proving that he deserves a place alongside the very best in the division.
Despite all of this however, I have to feel for Dillian Whyte. Whyte was named the number one heavyweight competitor by the WBC following his UD win over Robert Helenius at the end of 2017. He was the mandatory challenger to Deontay Wilder and now Tyson Fury for over 1000 days. Despite that, Dominic Breazeale was named Wilder’s mandatory challenger over Whyte last year. Whyte was set to challenge for the WBC title by next year at the latest if he beat Povetkin, but now, who knows? If he’s not been given a title fight after 1000 days, will he ever get the world title fight that he wants so badly? The Dillian Whyte situation over the last few years has made me feel very queasy about the state of boxing today. In MMA, the best consistently fight the best. Whyte would’ve been given a world title fight ages ago if he were fighting in the UFC, but with boxing, it’s not the case.
Also, another thing, just because someone loses a fight, doesn’t mean that they’re automatically ‘finished’. Following Whyte’s first loss to Joshua, he improved immensely as a fighter, and cemented himself as one of the best in the world. Just because he’s lost again doesn’t mean he’s done. Look at the guy who knocked him out. Two losses, one draw, 40 years old and he’s just pulled off the knockout of the year. I don’t want to keep bringing this back to MMA, but in that sport almost every single one of the all time greats have multiple losses on their records. It’s the way that they come back from those losses that defines their careers. Georges St. Pierre lost twice in his career, but he overcame both of those losses to become the greatest Welterweight in UFC history. A loss shouldn’t define a career, the fighters character and the way they respond to the loss is what should define them. Whyte came back emphatically from his loss to Joshua, so why cant he come back from this? Like Nelson Mandela said ‘I never lose. I either win or learn.’
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