Dillian Whyte v Alexander Povetkin fight prediction
The Anglo-Russian War is still due to take place in May
British Boxing News writer Jordan Bright breaks down the forthcoming WBC interim world heavyweight title clash between Britain's Whyte and Russia's Povetkin:
DILLIAN WHYTE
Since his sole career defeat to British rival Anthony Joshua back in December 2015, Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18KOs) is now on a remarkable 11-fight win streak and he is coming into 29th contest off the back of a 10-round unanimous decision over 'The Viking' Mariusz Wach (35-6, 19 KOs) in December last year.
In his first fight back from the complicated and clouded UKAD investigation into adverse findings ahead of his previous bout with Oscar Rivas, Whyte delivered an impressive points victory over the world title contender to further enhance his case for a world title shot in 2020. As one-sided as it was, however, the towering giant from Poland is over 40 and hadn't beaten a credible opponent since 2017, losing three of his last five fights before meeting Whyte in Diriyah. His brace of wins were against journeymen with losing records, so credit is hard to give here, but the 10 rounds banked will be incredibly valuable for his next fight.
The Joshua fight, over four years ago now, was the biggest British heavyweight title fight in recent years, although Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce will attempt to upstage that on July 11 when they meet for the Lonsdale belt.
Despite the defeat, Dillian became the first opponent to trouble the unbeaten, formidible force that had beaten all 14 of his foes before the third round had finished, up to that point. Although on the back foot during an early onslaught from the man he had triumphed over in his first amateur boxing fight, he kept swinging with that left hook of his and the first round ended in a fracas when AJ hit after the bell. In the second round, however, Whyte, still under duress and getting hit, managed to land one of his famous left hooks flush on the chin of Joshua, who was rocked for the first time as a pro and forced to back off and survive for the rest of the round. It had never happened before, and Whyte continued to have success, landing a lovely straight right in the fourth. But AJ was always the aggressor on top and a right hook to the temple in the seventh, followed by a fight-ending uppercut led to 'The Body Snatcher's' only reverse so far in his nine-year career.
Since then, he has teamed up with top trainer Mark Tibbs, son of legendary trainer Jimmy Tibbs, and the 'A-Team' have been unbeaten for over four years and 11 fights. Tibbs waved his magic wand, and continues to work his magic as Whyte shows improvements fight upon fight. He is slimmer, fitter, stronger, better than ever, and his list of scalps are highly impressive.
He has collected the WBC International title, the British belt on his second attempt, then came the WBC Silver and WBO International titles, culminating in the WBC interim world title, which is the bauble he defends for the first time against the dangerous Povetkin. Whyte's scalps includes two former world champions, an Olympian, an unbeaten heavyweight – all with a combined record of 260-37-3.
ALEXANDER POVETKIN
Both boxers' glaringly obvious shared stat is that they each lost to Joshua in the seventh round.
The Athens 2004 Olympic gold medallist Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 25KOs) responded to that second career defeat with a comprehensive unanimous points win over Hughie Fury (23-2, 13KOs) on away soil and then engaged in an incredible battle with Michael Hunter (18-1, 12KOs) on the undercard of Ruiz vs Joshua 2 in Saudi Arabia, which ended in a draw.
The 'Russian Vityaz' enjoyed a glittering amateur career and has a wealth of top tier experience in both the amateur scene and pro ranks. Dillian was unfortunate to have only had six amateur bouts, all of which he won – five by knockout, and his sole points victory coming against Joshua. His professional kickboxing background caused issues with the ABA and he was forced to turn pro ahead of time.
So, Povetkin trumps Whyte with fight experience by quite some way. His pedigree is eveident in his fighting style while Whyte admits to still learning on the job. He won gold at the European Games (2002 and 2004) and World Championships (2003) as well as the pinnacle – the coveted Olympic gold. He also reached the pinnacle of the paid ranks, too.
As a pro, the Chekhov native went unbeaten in his first 26 bouts until he was convincingly defeated by the widest of margins – 104-119 – by Wladimir Klitschko, touching down four times in the process. But, prior to that, he held the WBA world heavyweight title for over two years and had four successful defences of the belt.
Seven years on, at the age of 40, 'Sasha' demonstrated he is still a force at world level, albeit his best years far behind him.
Last December, his shootout with Michael Hunter proved he can still mix it at the top echelons. Hunter started fast in the first few rounds against Povetkin, who moved his head and upper body welr, but was still caught by the younger, accurate man. By the time it got to the fifth round, the tide had turned and three left hands almost caused a knockdown had Hunter not been held up by the ropes. From then on, the fight was even and both men landed good shots. In the 11th round, Hunter hurt a tired Povetkin, who was forced to weather the storm until the final bell chimed. When the verdict was announced as a draw, neither man looked either shocked or upset about the decision.
THE PREDICTION
Povetkin will likely be forced to overcome an early onslaught from the home fighter, who is nine years his junior. The Russian does have a vaster fight experience, which he will draw upon all through the fight to get through the many sticky moments, but Whyte has youth, energy and power on his side.
Ninth and 12th round knockdowns to Oscar Rivas and Joe Parker respectively, shows that the Brixton boxer is prone to a lack of concentration when fatigued, but the stamina and endurance will be on his side in this contest. His last four fights have gone 10 rounds or further, so he has plenty in the bank to be able to go the distance with 'Sasha'. The 38-fight veteran is more likely to be the one who tires towards the end.
Both boxers have a fantastic left hook in their arsenal and will likely land with it often. Whyte's output should trump Povetkin's, so the rounds should rack up in the home fighter's favour as the fight goes on, leading to a points win, especially with the home crowd roaring him on.
I’m going for a Dillian Whyte win in this one, but I am undecided if it will be a points win or a late stoppage in the championship rounds.
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