The eyes of the boxing world were firmly set on the fight between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin, on March 27th, 2021, as the pair were back to battle it out against each other once more.
They had originally taken to the ring on August 22nd, 2020, after their fight had been postponed due to the pandemic. Whyte arrived at the battle having won several fights over the years, winning his last 11 fights in a row, and he was on the brink of a world title shot if he could take the Russian down. Whyte was the WBC interim champion and Povetkin was the former world champion; Whyte’s WBC and the WBC Diamond titles were at stake. It was looking promising for Whyte in the early rounds with him being largely in control and even knocking Povetkin down multiple times however, a left uppercut saw all of that change. The Brit was knocked out cold and denounced to his second professional loss with Povetkin winning via a fifth-round technical knockout.
The long-awaited rematch had everyone talking as many had been anticipating it earlier, but a positive COVID-19 test for Povetkin had once again seen the match delayed. When the pair took to the ring on March 27th, the boxing world was ready to watch the fight, deemed the ‘Rumble on the Rock,’ as the pair once again battled it out to claim the WBC Interim Heavyweight title. Whyte was aiming to get back on track in his world title journey, and he was able to do so, claiming success over Povetkin after a fourth-round knockout.
There was much speculation on who Whyte would face next as both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are out of the mix due to signing contracts to face each other later on in the year. Instead, Whyte has called for a fight with American, Deontay Wilder, who is the next best option for Whyte. Wilder has not been seen in the ring since losing to Fury last year and losing his undefeated streak and his reign as WBC champion. A Whyte vs Wilder fight is loudly being discussed by boxing fans and pundits alike, and so it would come as no surprise if they were to come to face-to-face in the ring sometime soon.
Written by: Leah Langley
Edited by: Lois George
Header by: Christos Alamaniotis
