While I have been severely underwhelmed by the recent heavyweight schedule that didn’t involve Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder this match up has me pretty excited. I am a little disappointed to see Michael Hunter on the sidelines with DAZN pairing these two to fight in early May. Dillian Whyte will have to continue to wait a little longer for his WBC shot as it appears Wilder is going to move ahead with his rematch clause. Povetkin despite his age has been soldiering on still seeking that career defining victory.
Povetkin is the fighter I would give the edge to if he were closer to his prime. The Povetkin heading into the fight with Wladimir Klitschko or the version that was knocking on the door of a Wilder fight pre-scandal would be my pick vs any version of Dillian Whyte. Whyte has continued to challenge himself as he took on Joshua while he was still climbing the ranks and has been chasing a Wilder fight for a long time now. He has one of the best streaks in the division getting quality wins over Parker and Rivas most notably. Recently I’d say it is a mixed bag as far as performance.
Povetkin: After being stopped by Joshua I assumed Alexander was going to call it a day with his Gold Medal in 2004 and his secondary WBA title he had his two big tries and came up short. I was impressed with the way he handled Hughie Fury but his Hunter fight leaves me wondering. Hunter came right out in the early rounds and rocked Povetkin badly and it looked like it was going to be a short night. However, Povetkin came on strong in a closely fought battle that went to a draw. I’m not sure if predictions and bets should be placed based on how much danger he was in early vs Hunter who is a blown up cruiserweight or if his turnaround in the fight is the more telling story.
Whyte: I was extremely impressed with the way Whyte handled Joseph Parker. I thought the 115-110 score was right on the money even though many fans and scribes felt the fight was closer. He did have a heart attack moment late in the fight when he hit the canvas and was in all kinds of trouble. He did the same thing with Oscar Rivas who he was handily out boxing and showing a good jab before going down late in the fight. Most recently and on the same card as Povetkin vs Hunter, Whyte showed up incredibly out of shape and went toe to toe with Mariusz Wach where he took some of unnecessary punishment. I don’t hold that too much against Whyte though I would not want to see his weight become an issue.
On the surface I think they both are solid punchers. I think both take a pretty good punch but I think I would bank on Povetkin to withstand what Whyte has to dish out rather than the other way around. Now a cruiser in Marco Huck had Povetkin hurt and Eddie Chambers, not known for his punch, marked up Povetkin but I think he can handle Whyte’s power. Whyte did jump on Parker early and built a solid lead and Povetkin looked vulnerable early vs Hunter. Both are dangerous early and can carry their power late. I think this is a tough one to pick.
Gun to head, entire bank account on the line, etc: Whyte on Points
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