.jpg)
As Dillian Whyte watched a replay of him knocking out Alexander Povetkin, he couldn’t help but admire his work.
The redeemed interim champion is confident that if he hits any heavyweight with the type of left hook that knocked Povetkin to the canvas, that opponent will go down as well. Whyte first hurt Povetkin with a right hand in the fourth round.
That punch knocked Povetkin into the ropes. Several seconds later, a flush left hook by Whyte sent Povetkin down.
Povetkin reached his feet, but the Russian veteran stumbled, which made referee Victor Loughlin stop the action at 2:39 of the fourth round.
“This one is the one that sent him on his way home. Boom!,” Whyte said during a post-fight interview with Sky Sports. “No one can take that punch from me and stand up. No one! Anyone I hit with a left hook must go down. They might get back up sometimes, but they will go down.”
The Jamaican-born, London-based Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) is well known for his left hook, the dangerous shot that knocked out Dereck Chisora in the 11th round of their rematch in December 2018 at O2 Arena in London.
Stopping Povetkin enabled Whyte to avenge his stunning fifth-round knockout defeat to Povetkin on August 22 on the grounds of Matchroom Boxing’s headquarters in Brentwood, England. Whyte dropped Povetkin twice during the fourth round of that bout, but Povetkin recovered between rounds and knocked Whyte unconscious with a perfectly executed left uppercut.
“I’m just annoyed,” Whyte said after avenging his defeat. “The first time, I shouldn’t have lost. It’s just one of those things, man. I’m just annoyed at myself for losing the first time. All I had to do is be a bit smarter, that’s all. [I made] a silly mistake and paid for it.”
Oddsmakers seemed to agree with Whyte, who was a 4-1 favorite over Povetkin entering their immediate rematch. Povetkin appeared sluggish from the opening bell and wasn’t competitive in their one-sided second fight.
The 32-year-old Whyte regained the WBC interim championship from Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 KOs), who has lost only to Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua. Whyte isn’t the WBC’s mandatory challenger again because he beat Povetkin, but Whyte hopes his victory eventually will lead to a title shot that has long eluded him.
“I still believe I can be a world champion, I can beat anyone,” Whyte said. “I carry power. I can beat anyone.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.