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Nick Parkinson
Dillian Whyte is back in the heavyweight world title after taking revenge on Alexander Povetkin with his fourth-round TKO victory on Saturday.
Whyte regained the WBC provisional title after flattening Povetkin with a left hook at the Europa Point sports complex in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located in the extreme south of Spain.
Povetkin eliminated Whyte last August, but was unable to repeat the feat as he was defeated for the third time as a professional. His other two losses came to points against Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA, IBF and WBO titles in 2013 and for stopping Anthony Joshua for the same three years ago.
While Povetkin may consider retirement, Whyte has given his career a much-needed boost. However, with rival world champions Tyson Fury (WBC) and Joshua (WBA, IBF, WBO) in advanced talks over a two-fight deal, Whyte’s wait to win the first world title will continue for some time.
“If he wants revenge and the money is right, I’ll fight him again because I shouldn’t have lost the first time; I’m upset with myself,” Whyte said of Povetkin.
“From the first round I was with him, then I thought I needed to relax and not fly. He just lost against Klitschko and Joshua; that proves how good he is. I can beat anyone.”
This was a dangerous and forced struggle for Whyte. Povetkin could turn 41, but in recent years he has shown that his power still makes him one of the top heavyweights in boxing. Last August, Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 KOs) bounced back from two playoffs in the fourth round to eliminate Whyte with a left uppercut in the fifth.
Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), 32, simply could not afford a third professional defeat, after being stopped by Joshua as well in 2015. The loss to Povektin cost Whyte the first place in the queue to get a WBC title and fell. at number 6 in the ranking of this governing body. The other three governing bodies do not even place Whyte in the top ten.
Saturday’s win repairs the damage caused to Whyte’s race last summer after beating the heaviest heavyweight rival.
“Tonight was about reclaiming his career and he showed tonight that he would not be denied. We went back to where we wanted to be and the goal remains the same: to get Dillian to win the world title,” said the promoter of Matchroom, Eddie Hearn, who hopes Whyte will fight again in the summer.
Whyte, who moved from Jamaica to London at the age of 12, dropped his hands in the first round and Povetkin was sent in two-shot staggered before recovering quickly.
Povektin, who had tested positive for COVID-19, causing the rematch to be delayed from November, saw a different side of Whyte in the second, while the Londoner patiently fell from his blow.
Whyte injured Povetkin with a right in the third round and the English boxer came out swinging in the fourth. Later in the fourth, Whyte shook Povetkin with one of two and, when the Russian bumped into the ring, Whyte threw himself with a right and a left hook. Povetin hit the canvas and, as he climbed back on some unstable legs, the fight was interrupted.
Then Whyte looked for a stool for the stunned Povetkin to sit before celebrating in front of a limited crowd of 500 people due to coronavirus restrictions.
On the inside card, Campbell Hatton, son of former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton, made his professional debut with a 40-36 point victory over Spaniard Jesus Ruiz (0-11). Hatton, 20, attacked the body as his father used to do and won all rounds in a light four-round bout.
“I don’t think I’ve done my best. I think my nerves got to me; I can only get better next time,” Hatton said.
Ted Cheeseman (17-2-1, 10 KOs) won the British Superweight title with a spectacular finish in an 11th round win over James Metcalf (21-1, 13 KOs).
Cheeseman, a Londoner nicknamed “The Big Cheese,” landed a rain of gunfire and finished Metcalf with a left hook on his jaw at the end of the 11th.
Englishman Fabio Wardley (11-0, 10 KOs), coached by Ricky Hatton, won the fifth round by knockout 38-year-old Texan Eric Molina (27-7, 19 KOs). Molina, who was stopped by Joshua and Deontay Wilder in world shots in 2016 and 2015, respectively, did well until Wardley, 26, fought the ropes with great effect.