Dillian Whyte's hopes of landing a mandatory shot at the WBC heavyweight championship were halted Saturday when he suffered a knockout defeat to Alexander Povetkin in a thrilling clash.
Whyte dominated the opening four rounds, only to be downed in the fifth by a stunning uppercut from the 40-year-old Russian. He had knocked down Povetkin twice in the fourth round at Matchroom Boxing's Fight Camp in Brentford, England.
Had Whyte defeated Povetkin, he would have been entitled to a fight with Tyson Fury. Instead, Whyte was left to congratulate his opponent as his hopes of a title bout faded.
Pure drama...
— Matchroom: Fight Camp Tonight! (@MatchroomBoxing) August 22, 2020
Povetkin goes down twice in fourth... Then gets up and cleans Whyte out in the fifth
Big win for Sasha #FightCamp #WhytePovetkin pic.twitter.com/LZoB1wHMlm
With Anthony Joshua, who had publicly doubted his compatriot before the fight, watching on as a pundit, Whyte looked sharp in the opening exchanges, landing several swift jabs. Povetkin responded with body blows.
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Povetkin could not prevent Whyte from landing more sharp shots to his frame in the second, and the Russian's legs dipped in the third when he was clubbed with two hefty hooks.
Whyte — who had lost abou 20 pounds from his previous bout — refused to let up and had Povetkin down with a brilliant punch early in Round 4, but the veteran fighter was quickly back to his feet. The assault continued and Povetkin was dropped again in the closing stages of the round by a venomous left-handed uppercut.
Then, in a stunning turnaround, the fight was ended by one huge Povetkin punch moments into the fifth. The former WBA heavyweight champion landed a brilliant left uppercut, sending Whyte to the canvas.
Whyte recovered quickly but the damage was done, and Povetkin celebrated a remarkable triumph.