A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qw7eEOmFOw
Dillian Whyte’s achievement on Saturday in Gibraltar shouldn’t be underestimated.
The last time he was face to face with Alexander Povetkin he took an uppercut that knocked him flat on his back and rendered him unconscious, a fate that can be difficult to overcome under any circumstances.
Whyte’s response? He got back into the ring with Povetkin as soon as possible, showed no signs of being gun shy and beat the you know what out of his nemesis. It was as if the first fight never happened, which says something about Whyte’s mental strength.
As promoter Eddie Hearn put it, “He carried on where he left off before the knockout last time.”
The 32-year-old Londoner was overeager in the first round, in which he winged wild punches in an apparent effort to get his revenge in the first three minutes. However, he soon settled down and began to fight more methodically. He jabbed, he started to land straight right hands and he quickly broke down his opponent.
Povetkin had already taken considerable punishment by the time Whyte connected on two damaging rights and the left hook that ended the fight in Round 4.
Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) followed in some large footsteps. Joe Louis avenged a brutal knockout loss by stopping Max Schmeling in their rematch. Lennox Lewis did the same against both Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman. And Wladimir Klitschko got his revenge against Lamon Brewster.
Of course, Whyte is no Louis, Lewis or Klitschko. He has done nothing his career to prove he’s anywhere near that level.
However, at least now, after regaining his place among the top contenders for the heavyweight championship, he’s once again in position to make the most of his potential. And he almost certainly will receive the opportunity he has earned at some point.
***
BAD
Whyte is back at the front of the line for a shot at a major heavyweight title. What does that mean? Not much at the moment. As Hearn put it in a post-fight interview Saturday night, “We know there’s a logjam.”
The logjam comes in the form of beltholders Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who recently agreed upon a two-fight deal to unify all four major heavyweight titles. That leaves every other heavyweight out in the cold until things are sorted out.
Fury and Joshua haven’t even agreed upon a date yet, although organizers are targeting the summer. And if they fight twice, their series could extend into next year.
Of course, one or more of the sanctioning bodies could decide to strip either or both of the champions after their first fight for failing to defend against mandatory challengers. That might be Whyte’s best hope of fighting for a title soon.
Whyte could also be elevated to full champion after earning the WBC’s “interim” status on Saturday.
No matter what happens he isn’t likely to face one of the big two or wear a meaningful belt soon, which seems to be OK with him. He mentioned after the fight that he’d like to face a relative pushover after back-to-back meetings with Povetkin to pad his bank account.
That sort of fight could happen in three or four months. After that, Hearn, who also handles Joshua, is going to have to figure out the best path toward a title for Whyte.
For the record: The fact Fury and Joshua are freezing out the other top heavyweights temporarily is perfectly fine with me. I’m not alone when I say I’d like to see a unified heavyweight champion, which has become a rarity.
Whyte and the others will get their turns.
***
WORSE
Povetkin might’ve stepped into the ring on Saturday at less than 100 percent.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman believes the Russian was unable to reach full fitness after a difficult battle with the coronavirus, which forced organizers to push back the rematch with Whyte twice. And Sulaiman might be right.
Povetkin seemed to have trouble with his balance from the outset, as he stumbled multiple times in the first few rounds. And while he took some hard shots, Whyte broke him down fairly quickly.
That’s a shame for Povetkin, who was coming off a spectacular one-punch knockout in the first fight that instantaneously pumped life into his career. Now, sadly for him, his dreams of one last shot at a heavyweight championship might be dashed.
Povetkin’s handlers have indicated that they will encourage him to retire after almost 16 years as a professional. And they obviously have the best handle on what their man has – or doesn’t have – left at 41 years old.
Remember: Povetkin went down twice and appeared to be on his way to a knockout loss before he landed that big uppercut in the first fight with Whyte. Landing one big punch doesn’t mean you still have it.
Povetkin had a good career. His won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. And while he never won a major belt as a professional – he lost title fights against Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua – and twice tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, he has been a legitimate contender for more than a decade.
He’ll always have his Olympic title. And he can say truthfully that he was one of the better big men of his era.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Amanda Serrano demonstrated again on Thursday in Puerto Rico why she’s one of the best boxers in the world, stopping rugged Daniela Bermudez (29-4-3, 10 KOs) with a one-two to the body in Round 9. The seven-division titleholder is a versatile boxer, she can punch (30 knockouts?) and she can take a punch. And, as important as anything to me, she’s fun to watch. Serrano (40-1-1, 30 KOs) is special. … Junior middleweights Ted Cheeseman (17-2-1, 10 KOs) and James Metcalf (21-1, 13 KOs) gave fans a riveting back-and-forth brawl on the Whyte-Povetkin card. Cheeseman ended up with an 11th-round stoppage but both fighters should be proud of their efforts. … Campbell Hatton fought with fire reminiscent of his famous dad in his pro debut on The Whyte-Povetkin card. The son of Ricky Hatton easily outpointed tough, but overmatched Spaniard Jesus Ruiz (0-11, 0 KOs) in a four-round lightweight bout. It’s difficult to gauge Hatton’s ability against a winless opponent but he seems to have the determination to succeed.
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