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Dillian Whyte kept his hopes of a world heavyweight title shot alive by emphatically taking revenge on Alexander Povetkin with an impressive knockout victory in their rematch.
The 32-year-old Briton showed clever timing early on in Gibraltar before a decisive attack in the fourth round.
A right hand sent Povetkin back, another sent him to the ropes, and a left hook knocked him down heavily.
He found his feet but was rightly stopped for his third loss.
Only Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko had previously beaten Povetkin in 39 fights.
Some questioned whether Whyte was right to take an immediate rematch after a horrible knockout loss to the Russian in August, but after four well-crafted rounds, BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Mike Costello said his performance will “have an impact” on the Russian. heavyweight division.
“I’m sad that I didn’t finish it in the first round,” Whyte said. “He’s a tough guy, but I felt like I could have finished it sooner.
“I want the world title.”
Revenge, risk and wait
Whyte will likely have to wait for a world title shot if Joshua and Tyson Fury, who have the top four belts between them, finalize the details for two successive bouts.
August’s loss to the crafty and experienced Povetkin ultimately cost Whyte his position in the queue for a title fight and a second loss would have all but erased his status as an elite name in the division.
Such was the importance of the fight to his career, that late moves were made to switch him to Gibraltar so Whyte could avoid the interruption of a 10-day quarantine in a Covid safe fighting bubble in the UK.
Private jets were chartered for interested parties and Povetkin. Whyte stayed on a superyacht near the place of the fight. Those who attended from the UK signed up for a handful of Covid-19 tests to realize hopes of using the dark fighting base.
Whyte accepted a cut in his fight bag to deliver the change of venue and when the lights dimmed at the Europa Point Sports Complex, he played his role to perfection in front of 500 fans.
In a robe sporting ‘RIP Hagler’ in tribute to the late ‘Marvelous’ middleweight Marvin Hagler, Whyte bounced on the spot as music played from his ring, seemingly bristling with energy as the opportunity to correct mistakes approached.
From the hood, he kept Povetkin’s fierce power at arm’s length and his rival, who contracted Covid-19 in late 2020, looked shaky in his legs early on, losing his balance even as the blows passed through his head.
Whyte accurately landed a jab and right hand combination in the second, and drove home a timely counterattack in the third before the fourth saw him strike mercilessly – the final left hook delivered with arrogance worthy of a finishing blow. .
Whyte has admirably taken one risk after another in picking opponents. It may still be true that his risk of facing Povetkin in August proves costly to his hopes of landing a title shot.
For the 41-year-old Povetkin, retirement is surely looming, while for Whyte there are at least exciting possibilities on the horizon again.
This way of winning shows that you are a worthy competitor. He has gone through a brutal setback in the most emphatic way possible.
‘Relief and open doors’ – what they said …
Promoter Eddie Hearn speaking to Sky Sports: “His world championship dreams were on the line tonight. That night was a lot of pressure. Tonight it was about getting him back on track. He wasn’t going to deny it.
“He manipulated Povetkin, he hit him from pillar to post. We are back where we wanted to be. The goal remains the same, that Dillian has a chance to win the world championship.”
BBC Sport boxing correspondent Mike Costello: “The key emotion for Whyte will be relief from all those closed doors if he didn’t win tonight, in the way they have now closed Povetkin.
“This opens up a wide range of opportunities. Yes, he might have to wait for that world title opportunity, but he’s used to that. At least now he’s back in a position where he can negotiate based on the performance he’s produced. . tonight.
“Now he is once again an important factor in the heavyweight division.”
‘Meticulous and elegant’
