It’s not all Whyte as loser eyes a rematch
DILLIAN Whyte has called for a rematch later this year after Alexander Povetkin inflicted a second career defeat on him with a sensational fifth-round knock-out.
Whyte had dominated the opening four rounds and twice sent the 40-year-old Russian to the canvas, but Povetkin turned the fight on its head with a ferocious left uppercut that ended proceedings in an instant.
Whyte approached promoter Eddie Hearn, who had just revealed there was a rematch clause which he will exercise before the end of the year, and asked: “Can we get a rematch in December?”
Hearn replied: “One hundred per cent.”
Whyte said: “I was bossing it but it is what it is. Rematch, let’s go. It’s all good.”
Povetkin said he was feeling confident in the fourth round despite Whyte’s dominance.
He said: “I went down twice but it was okay. It was not too much damage.
“I was watching his fights and I see he was missing uppercuts from the left and from the right.
“I trained for those shots and it was definitely one of the best punches of my career.”
Whyte, the WBC’S number one contender for over two years, knew he could not afford any mistakes behind closed doors at Matchroom HQ in Essex.
The prize of meeting the winner of the trilogy fight between current champion Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder was on the line.
There was a sedate start to the fight as Whyte began to establish his impressive jab.
Povetkin was left off balance by a strong right in the third and took a count after being dropped to the floor by a right-left combination early in the fourth.
Povetkin, looking out of his depth, was sent tumbling again by a short left uppercut close to the bell.
It looked as if the end was near but he landed a perfect punch from nowhere that left Whyte on the floor.
Hearn added: “This is the drama of heavyweight boxing and one punch can change everything.”
Katie Taylor retained her lightweight world titles with a unanimous points decision over Delfine Persoon.
Taylor was pushed to the limit for the second time by Persoon, but the judges’ scorecards were 98-93, 96-94, 96-94 in her favour.