Gibraltar, Gibraltar— In a bout dubbed, “The Rumble on the Rock,” Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte regained his status as one of the top heavyweights in the sport. In a rematch of their fight from last December, Whyte returned the favor to WBC interim champ Alexander Povetkin. This time out, Whyte silenced all his doubters and critics. He battered Povetkin all night, en route to a fourth-round technical knockout at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar.
Much like their first fight, Whyte (28-2, 18 KOs) was in control pretty much the entirety of the fight. He stayed behind his jab for most of the fight. In the first round, Whyte landed a couple of glancing shots that seem to wobble Povetkin slightly. He bounced off the ropes and was able to stay on his feet. Instead of rushing in, Whyte held his composure and continued to jab. Povetkin’s (36-3-1, 25 KOs) legs were still a little unsteady in the second round, although he did not get hit with any punches of consequence. In the third, Whyte landed one of the better punches of the night. He caught Povetkin flush on the chin with a counter right hand after slipping a punch.
In the fourth round, it was time for payback. Whyte shot a straight right down the pipe, sending Povetkin bouncing off the ropes. Whyte then followed that up with a two-punch combination. As Povetkin’s legs started to buckle, Whyte then landed a lunging left to the temple, sending Povetkin to the canvas. Although Povetkin rose to his feet, he was still shaky, prompting the referee to wave the fight off. Whyte landed 57 of 131 total punches (44 percent) to Povetkin’s 8 of 72 total punches landed (11 percent).
With the win, Whyte put himself back into world title contention. The two current world champions, Anthony Joshua and Tyson, are in talks to fight one another. If that fight falls through, Whyte remains a viable option for either man, especially Fury, since he holds the full WBC title.
