Dillian Whyte v Alexander Povetkin – How we got to this point

The heavyweight boxing division is currently the best it’s been in years. The raw talent of the athletes involved as well as the characters within the division has been a driving force as of late and it’s made for some of the best fights in boxing history. Tyson Fury has made an incredible come-back while Anthony Joshua has led the division (for most of the time) while he was away.

A hotly anticipated fight in the division is the one between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin, we’ve taken a look at the titanic tussle…

Will Whyte to get his title shot?

The short answer is not yet. Dillian Whyte is currently the WBO interim heavyweight champion and has been waiting very patiently for a title shot.

He continued to call out the Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder, but he wasn’t able to force through a bout, with Wilder going on to fight Tyson Fury twice. The first ending in a controversial draw and the second ended with Fury demolishing Wilder leading to the American’s corner throwing in the towel.

This meant Whyte no longer had to face Wilder for the title but instead would have to face the Gypsy King. White was, of course, straight on Fury’s case calling him out on Twitter less than 24 hours after the fight had finished.

However, Fury and Wilder had a trilogy clause in their contract which could be triggered by whoever lost the fight. Many were sceptical as to whether Wilder would trigger it after getting a lucky draw in the first fight and then getting flattered easily in the second. The Bronze Bomber stayed quite for multiple days before eventually blaming the weight of his body armour he wore to the ring for his embarrassing defeat.

He also stated that he was triggering the rematch and vowed to win the third fight. Regardless of Wilder’s motive for invoking the rematch clause, it’s bound to be a monster of a boxing match. It’s due to this reason that Whyte must, yet again, step aside and wait for his title shot.

The Fight

Whyte could have just sat on his mandatory but his will to fight and prove that he is one of the best in the division. Whyte tends to go under the radar for most casual fight fans due to the fact he’s not recently had a title fight, but he really is the real deal. He could do damage to anyone on his day and whether he’s going toe-to-toe with the likes of Fury or AJ.

He’ll be going up against Aleksander Povetkin who boasts an impressive 35-2-1 record. Both of Povetkin’s loses have come against elite-level boxers in Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua. Povetkin is a very good boxer who is both solid and tactile. Povetkin is nine-years Whyte’s senior and many believe that Whyte’s explosive power will be too much for Povetkin to handle.

Whyte heads into this fight as strong 2/9 favourite with a win coming by KO, TKO or DQ a short 21/20. It’s fair to say that Whyte will need this fight more than Povetkin and the possibilities are endless if he can see this one off quickly.

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