On Saturday, Alexander Povetkin will make his third and possibly final attempt to achieve the status of the first contender for the world heavyweight title. The Russian boxer, who will turn 41 at the beginning of September, will meet with Briton Dillian White, and the winner will receive not only the WBC Diamond belt, but also the right to measure strength with the owner of the absolute title in the person of Tyson Fury. However, it will be very difficult to achieve this, because the native of Jamaica can be safely called one of the most dangerous opponents in the entire career of the Russian Knight.
At the moment, White is one of the three best heavyweights according to the authoritative magazine The Ring and for more than 1000 days has been the first contender for the world title according to the World Boxing Council. He received this title back on October 28, 2017, when he defeated Finn Robert Helenius by unanimous decision, but since then he has not fought with the belt holder. Twice the reason for this was the organization of battles between the then reigning champion Deontay Wilder and Fury, and once again anti-doping agencies intervened in the matter. After a successful fight with Oscar Rivas, the athlete's A test turned out to be positive, because of which he was temporarily deprived of his status. The result of the B test confirmed the innocence of the Briton, but the moment was lost.
At the same time, it is possible that even if he succeeds in a battle with the Russian, White will also not be able to fight for the trophy in 2021 on the move. The WBC has long been negotiating a third duel between Fury and Wilder, and a superbattle between Tyson and Anthony Joshua looms on the horizon.
It is worth noting that the fight will take place at the Fight Camp in Brentwood, near London. Initially, the battle between Povetkin and White was supposed to take place back in May 2020, but was postponed twice. First, the coronavirus pandemic forced it to be postponed until the end of July, and only then it was decided to arrange it in the second half of August. Interestingly, the renewal of the Champions League forced the second time to adjust plans.
We can safely say that White is one of the five most dangerous opponents in Povetkin's career. He is obviously second only to Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, but the rest may well give a head start. In particular, this concerns the last rival of the Russian - Michael Hunter. Yes, recently the American has made good progress and even got the better of Alexander Ustinov and Sergei Kuzmin, but the Briton's track record is much more impressive. In addition to Helenius, his "victims" were former belt applicants Derek Chisora and Mariusz Wach, as well as ex-WBO champion Joseph Parker. At the moment, he has 11 victories in a row, five of which he won ahead of schedule.
At the same time, it cannot be said that Povetkin cannot defeat White. Yes, the Briton has tremendous physical strength and a furious left hook, and also hits hard on the body. No wonder his nickname is the Body Thief. But there are enough gaps in his style that Alexander can easily take advantage of. Even if the Briton is superior to the Russian in height, he does not use this advantage as much as Joshua or Klitschko. Dillian often gives the initiative to the opponent and prefers to act on counterattacks. Of course, in this aspect he is strong, but the Russian Knight always experienced difficulties precisely in those moments when he was held with a jab at a long distance, and in exchanges he was very dangerous.
In this battle, Povetkin will be able to act as the first number and control the course of the fight himself. In terms of tactical training, he is significantly superior to White and is able to outbox him. The only question is whether he is ready to work at a high pace throughout all 12 rounds. As his promoter Andrei Ryabinsky admitted, over the years, Alexander has become less speedy and enduring, which may well affect the result. In many ways, this was the reason for his failure in the battle with Joshua. At a certain moment, the Russian ran out of strength, which was instantly used by the young rival. 32-year-old Dillian is much younger than Povetkin and is unlikely to slow down much in the second half of the duel.
“Povetkin says he feels great. Everything looks quite favorable. But nobody knows how the battle will turn out ... Young Alexander, of course, was faster. But there is experience gained in battles with top boxers. You need to understand that White is one of the most dangerous opponents for Sasha in his entire career. He should not be underestimated, he is very dangerous, "RBC quotes Ryabinsky.
For Povetkin, White's performances in recent fights can be considered a certain reason for optimism. If his victory over Chisora in 2018 was overly convincing, then a year later, Rivas and Wach were able to create serious problems for him. The Colombian sent the Briton to the canvas in the ninth round, and the Pole often looked preferable throughout the fight. The fact that Dillian does not have the strongest jaw is confirmed by the knockdown in the fight with Parker, as well as the knockout in the fight with Joshua. In the cockpit, he often behaves too recklessly and forgets about defense, which an experienced Russian may well take advantage of.
Yes, even though bookmakers consider White to be the clear favorite of the upcoming confrontation, famous athletes in the past hold a different opinion. So, the former undisputed world champion in the first welterweight division, Konstantin Tszyu, is confident that Povetkin will take over.
“Povetkin must deal with White. I do not consider him an obvious outsider, and whoever says so - amateurs or spiteful critics. The fight should take place in a calm mode, and good preparation will decide everything. Sasha is a very strong-willed person, he holds a blow well. For him, this fight is an opportunity to prove to himself that he still can. Dillian is young, impudent and arrogant, which also gives a certain advantage, "- quotes Tszyu" Championship ".
Former world champion in the first heavy weight Grigory Drozd also expressed the opinion that Povetkin should not be written off in advance. But at the same time, he noted that in the second half of the fight, age may affect his actions.
“The Briton fights on his own territory, and this gives him a certain advantage. I believe in Sasha, that he can be a good competitor. But 40 is quite a serious age. Therefore, it is difficult to say how he will behave at a high pace and under heavy load. I am sure that Alexander will be very dangerous in the first half of the fight. And how the second will turn out depends on the functional readiness. Because at this age, fatigue can come right during the fight - because of the huge loads. I hope Povetkin is well prepared, ”Drozd told RIA Novosti.
He also pointed out White's strengths, but noted that in the past, Povetkin would not have experienced problems with a boxer of this caliber.
“The Briton is well trained and has a great counterattack. Alexander's chances of winning, probably, as always, are primarily associated with close combat. Sharp entrances, left lateral at the jump. I think his classic strikes should be useful. Povetkin has already boxed with opponents with a manner similar to White's actions and knocked them out. If you rewind seven or eight years ago, then no one would have any questions about his victory. But today, because of age, everything is not so simple, ”concluded Drozd.
As for Alexander himself, at the final press conference he was extremely respectful and did not give predictions for the battle.
“I would like to thank Eddie for organizing this fight. Thanks to Dillian, he is a strong and decent boxer. I have always treated him with respect, I think that there will be an interesting and beautiful fight. We have prepared well, ”Povetkin said.
White also demonstrated that he has an exceptional respect for his opponent and praised his fighting skills. On the eve of the fight, he called Povetkin an "experienced guy" and expressed the opinion that he was one of the strongest heavyweights on the planet over the past 15 years.
“I expect the sharp and concentrated Povetkin to appear in the ring. It looks good, collected. In his last fight, he showed that he was still motivated because at the beginning he acted poorly, but was good in the ending. We know that Alexander has a strong jaw, and he was second only to the reigning world champions - Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, ”Sky Sports quotes White.
White assured that he is perfectly ready for the fight and intends to demonstrate his strongest qualities.
“I respect him and that's why I trained so hard. I take him seriously. He is very dangerous and knows this. If he beats me, he will restore not only his career, but also his life. I'm going to create chaos and show real cruelty in the ring, ”concluded White.