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ESPN Staff Writer- Covered the Broncos for two seasons with the Denver Post
- Graduate of the University of Houston
- A native of Jackson, Miss.
Alexander Povetkin got up from the canvas -- twice -- in Round 4. And in the fifth, he delivered one of the best KOs of 2020 to defeat Dillian Whyte and win the WBC interim heavyweight title in August, in the main event of a card staged at Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood, England, without fans in attendance. On Saturday, Whyte will try to regain his belt in the rematch, just eight months later.
Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs), 41, is a former WBA world titleholder whose only losses were to Anthony Joshua in 2018 and Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. He was very close to being stopped in the first fight against Whyte, but a clean left uppercut sent Whyte to the canvas for good.
Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs), 32, had won 11 consecutive fights since a loss to Joshua in 2015, before the first Povetkin bout. He is a big favorite to win the rematch (-340, according to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill). He's also a favorite to win by KO (-150).
"This time I'll beat him, and we'll see what people are going to say." said Whyte on Tuesday, in a press release. "One, two or three losses means nothing to a heavyweight nowadays. If you fight good fighters, the main thing is you can come back. This is a must-win fight for me, but I'm not a guy that worries about pressure. I just smile and take it in my stride.
"I'm still young and I've got loads of fights left in my career, God willing. I can worry about looking good in another fight. This is about winning. When I touch him this time his whole body is going to vibrate, he'll understand. I'm coming to do what I do best and that's to inflict pain. If I've got to make it a dog fight then I'll make it a dog fight. It will be a different story this time."
The winner could be in line for a WBC full unification fight against current champion Tyson Fury.
ESPN's Cameron Wolfe and Andres Ferrari asked a panel of boxing experts for analysis on the rematch and their predictions.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Andre Ward, two-division champion, member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, current ESPN boxing analyst
How Povetkin wins: He has to have a similar fight to the first one. He has a lot of miles on his body, he's been through a lot of tough fights, he's been down a lot, he's older and he doesn't always seem to be in the greatest of shape. But Povetkin still has a puncher's chance, so I think the key for him to win is to land another brutal shot like in the first fight.
How Whyte wins: I didn't love the shape that he was in for the first fight, I hope that he's in better shape for this rematch because he'll put himself in a better position to win it. He's the fresher fighter even after the knockout loss. He was supposed to win the first fight, he was the fighter that was kind of the unsung or the uncrowned champion in his mind, a guy that has been knocking on the door and never really getting the opportunity. And what happened to him in the first fight was not supposed to happen.
So, number one, he needs to be in better shape. Maybe he can take Povetkin's punches better, maybe he doesn't get hit with this same shot if he's in better shape. And number two, he has to win. He has to execute his game plan and go win the fight, because it'll be over for Whyte if he gets knocked out again. It doesn't mean that he won't continue fighting, but I mean, the media was already giving him a hard time, he wasn't getting the opportunities he thought he deserved and there were a lot of promises that just weren't being fulfilled with big potential fights. So if anybody has to win a fight, it is Whyte in this rematch.
X factor: I just think Whyte needs to be more disciplined. If he wants to win this fight he needs to come in a better shape, like I said, and he needs to be disciplined in this fight. Sometimes he gets caught up in the lazy heavyweight fighting where you're standing in front of your opponent, he hits you, you hit him and it just goes back and forth. Sometimes you land, sometimes he lands. He was winning that kind of fight the first time, until he wasn't. I just think he needs to be more disciplined; he needs to come in better shape, and he needs to execute the game plan. I didn't see a very sharp Dillian Whyte in that first fight, he just you know he just plowed forward and Povetkin was right in front of him and they just took turns at each other and Whyte was getting the better of Povetkin until he got caught, so he has to be much more discipline than in the first fight.
Prediction: There's no prediction! First of all, this is heavyweight boxing, but neither guy in their first fight asserted themselves to a point where I can say, 'hey this guy has the advantage.' On paper it looks like Dillian Whyte has the advantage -- in the first fight he landed a couple of knockdowns and did good things -- but he gave it right back. This is a 50-50 fight in my opinion.
Teddy Atlas, boxing trainer and analyst, host of "The Fight with Teddy Atlas" podcast
How Povetkin wins: He's got to get within that close range. He can't win from the outside. He's got to use the jab, even as the fighter with the shorter reach, and then work his way inside to get comfortable. I trained Povetkin for two years, he's got to do the same things I taught him in that regard. Ultimately it comes down to making Whyte miss and coming back with the counter. You can make as you punch, don't take a picture.
How Whyte wins: Povetkin is a 41-year-old former champ with character, but Whyte let him off the hook last time. He's young and maybe he learned his lesson. I liked his plan last time, he forced the shorter and older man to come in and he hurt him. But Whyte didn't finish him and he let the guy get into his geography. Povetkin doesn't really have a chance on the outside. His reach is shorter and he's slower. So Whyte should get the fight on the outside. He's stronger, younger, longer. All the factors on his side, as long as he can finish it.
X factor: When Whyte hurts Povetkin this time, does he get aggressive and finish the job? It's probably ingrained in his head that he has to get rid of him. But did they fix that?
It also wasn't an accident that Whyte got caught -- he let the guy get into good positions. He's been knocked out twice. The one thing that went unnoticed, from his team too, he got hurt several times in fights that he won. He was getting caught by clean punches. Why? They didn't correct it, and they paid the ultimate price vs. Povetkin. So that's still hovering over this fight.
Prediction: I would think Whyte this time will get an opportunity to get Povetkin in the same opportunity that he did last time, and this time Whyte will finish him. I would think he would stop him somewhere in the midpoint of the fight.
BJ Flores, former cruiserweight and heavyweight title contender, current boxing trainer
How Povetkin wins: I think Povetkin, with his amateur background and his amateur pedigree being a gold medalist, will be able to make the adjustments that he needs to make for this rematch. If you remember, in the first fight he came out and won the first two rounds and then he got hurt later in the third and the fourth. Whyte took advantage of that and dropped Povetkin twice in that fourth round.
Whyte was just knocked out completely unconscious for a long time just seven months ago, so I'm not under the impression that you completely heal after you've been knocked out like that in 30 days or 60 days or 90 days. I feel like Whyte would have had to take in a good amount of time off and then be very careful during sparring leading up to this fight. I feel that's a big, big advantage for Povetkin. it's not like it was a close decision, I mean, Whyte was separated from his senses -- Povetkin knocked him completely out.
How Whyte wins: Whyte, if he wants to win, he's going to have to do something early. He's not really going to outbox Povetkin, but he needs to put constant pressure on him. But he has to watch out for the big shots and be smarter, because he just doesn't have the type of amateur career and experience that Povetkin has. I feel like Whyte's got to be sharp, he's got to put the pressure on and use his size advantage.
X factor: It has to be how Whyte's chin is going to hold up when Povetkin hits him, because he was knocked out for minutes in the first fight. I mean it was the knockout of the year. So, how does his chin hold up whenever Povetkin touches him? Povetkin is a tough guy, he's very durable and he has 25 KOs in 36 wins for a reason. Yeah, he's 41, but in the heavyweight division, the power is the last thing that goes. He's still powerful and as he showed in the first fight, he can finish you with just one punch.
Prediction: I'm taking Povetkin again. I picked Povetkin in the first fight, even at a +370. He has a great amateur pedigree and has only lost to world champions in Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, and Whyte is not in the same league.