In a shocking comeback, former WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin brutally knocked out top heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte in the fifth round.
Dillian Whyte was controlling the fight early on with his jabs and he was also digging the body early. The breakthrough round for Whyte came in round four, when he scored two knockdowns, giving him a significant 10-7 advantage on the scorecards.
A win for Whyte could have catapulted him to the mandatory slot for the WBC heavyweight belt which is currently being held by Tyson Fury. However, promoter Eddie Hearn stated during the post-fight interview that there’s a rematch clause in place and Dillian Whyte will be getting a shot at Povetkin again in the near future.
Game over #WhytePovetkin 🥊 pic.twitter.com/wQU1VT97cf
— Andrew Gray (@_Andrew_Gray) August 22, 2020
“I didn’t think I would finish the fight like this,” Alexander Povetkin said following his knockout victory over Dillian Whyte. “But after four rounds I still felt okay, I still felt confident even after the knockdowns.
“I watched his fights and took into account that he was open to uppercuts, both from the right and the left. It was probably the best finish of my career.”
Eddie Hearn says a rematch clause is in place.
“We have a clause,” explained Hearn. “And Dillian said as we were coming back from the ring: ‘give me that rematch, give me that rematch’”
“The negotiations to fight for the WBC title were only if Dillian retained the interim title, so we are going to invoke the rematch clause hopefully by the end of the year.”
Whyte vs. Povetkin card results
Alexander Povetkin def. Dillian Whyte (c) via fifth-round KO (uppercut) to win WBC interim heavyweight title
Katie Taylor def. Delphine Persoon via unanimous decision (98-93, 96-94)
Chris Kongo def. Luther Clay via ninth-round TKO
Alen Babic def. Shawndell Winters via second-round TKO
Zak Chelli vs. Jack Cullen ruled a split draw (97-93, 95-96, 95-95)
