After losing by spectacular one-punch knockout to Alexander Povetkin, Dillian Whyte exacts his revenge beating Povetkin by knockout in the fourth round and winning back his WBC interim Heavyweight championship. This was Povetkin’s first loss since September 2018 when he lost to Anthony Joshua by seventh-round knockout.
In Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin’s first fight last August, it was a rough brawl that saw Whyte drop Povetkin to the canvas two times in the fourth round but he was able to answer the count and keep fighting making it out of the round. It was in the opening minute of the fifth round that Povetkin hit Whyte with an uppercut that knocked him out cold awarding him the win.
The loss for Dillian Whyte snapped an 11-fight win streak and his first since December 2015 against Anthony Joshua in his only world title fight to date.
The fight started off fast-paced with Dillian Whyte getting an early advantage by throwing wild punches at Alexander Povetkin. While Povetkin was not hurt significantly by these punches, he did seem to keep struggling with holding his footing while defending himself from the onslaught.
As the rounds progressed, both men let their hands go with reckless abandon with varied success. In the third round, Whyte looked to have Povetkin in trouble following a right hook to the nose that caused him to stagger back. He was, however, able to remain on his feet and make it out of the round.
The beginning of the fourth round saw the action once again pick up with Whyte coming out aggressive looking for the stoppage. Povetkin went on the defensive and was able to return fire at Whyte as well.
Toward the end of the fourth round, Whyte hit Povetkin with a straight right hand that bounced him off the ropes keeping him on his feet momentarily. Whyte followed that up with a right hook to the jaw then a left hook to the jaw that sent Povetkin to the canvas. Povetkin attempted to get up but he was on shaky legs and the referee called off the fight.
Dillian Whyte now improves to 28-2 with 19 wins by knockout while Alexander Povetkin drops to 36-3-1.