"He showed the strength of the Russian spirit": how the world reacted to Povetkin's victory in a duel with White

Fans and experts around the world admired the early victory of boxer Alexander Povetkin in the title fight against Briton Dillian White. Many of them noted the character and resilience of the 40-year-old Russian, which helped him not to lose heart after an unsuccessful start of the fight and two knockdowns in the fourth round.

Thanks to the victory over White, Povetkin became a contender for the fight with the reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The Briton was one of the first to react to the success of the Russian.

“40 years old and there is something to be proud of,” - wrote Fury on Twitter.

40 & proud 👍 https://t.co/oMui1aooNR

Alexander himself did not disclose his plans for the future rival, stressing that this issue does not depend on him. Despite the fact that Fury still has to meet with Deonotey Wilder or Anthony Joshua, former world champion Nikolai Valuev suggested that the next fight will become the title fight for Povetkin.

“Now he can either have a rematch with Joshua, which would be interesting, but even more interesting - a fight with Fury. It seems to me that Sasha will wait for him. I think this will be the next match, but it will depend on the negotiations between the teams, "- Sport-Express quotes Valuev.

He especially noted the episode that turned the tide of the battle when Povetkin knocked White out with a blow to the jaw. Valuev admitted that he expected such a turn of events.

“Sanya was losing the fight outright. But in the course of the fight, I just said that I expect this maneuver from him: leaving the opponent's field of vision and then a hook or uppercut, which he has always been famous for. Povetkin did just that. And then he admitted: we prepared it. White calmed down a bit. Not that the fight was easy for him, everyone always feels the danger, but still knockdowns - this was a clear advantage already. He was preparing to finish off Povetkin in the later rounds, but his plan did not work, ”Valuev said.

Former WBC world champion Oleg Maskaev stressed that such strikes are not carried out by chance, but are being honed over the years. He added that thanks to this victory Povetkin earned the right to hold several more fights at the highest level, thereby "extending his career to 40 years."

“It was very cool, the kick worked, which the boxer has been preparing for his entire career. All your life you beat him on the sack, work out in training, and at one point he brings you success. Sasha was losing the fight. But he fully deserved this victory, White lost his guard a little - and boom ... Good night, kids, that's called. Now he will not be able to remember for four days what happened to him, "Maskaev summed up.

Coach Alexander Zimin also reacted to the victory of the former ward. He stated that judging by the fight with White, Povetkin still has the strength to cope with any opponent in his weight category.

“A very beautiful fight. Sasha worked well on his legs, there was a sense of distance. He still has this spring inside, he can knock out anyone, not just White, ”Zimin told TASS.

The unexpected outcome of the well-shaped fight for White was also noted by his promoter Eddie Hearn, who acted as one of the organizers of the fight.

“When this blow passed, I thought it was a dream. I thought that the fight was by and large over. White performed excellently in the previous round and it seemed that the victory would be his, that the fight could be considered over. But this is the whole drama of our beloved sport and, in particular, heavy weight. One hit completely changed the outcome. Dillian controlled the fight, but Povetkin worked perfectly. Yes, it was a shock, but we know how good and dangerous it is, ”Sky Sports quotes Hearn.

At the same time, White's dominance throughout most of the fight made many doubt his unequivocally positive outcome for the Russian, who had experience on his side, but not age. However, the ex-WBC world champion Grigory Drozd emphasized that his character helped Povetkin to win.

“That rare case when many have already lost hope. I think that even Sasha himself did not feel very well. Two falls, he swayed a little. Everything went to the fact that the Briton had to end the fight ahead of schedule, "the Ren TV website quotes Drozd as saying.

“But incredible belief in yourself, in your knockout blow, does its job. To be honest, I don't remember any more comebacks like that. What Povetkin did will go down in history, ”he added.

Former WBA and IBF champion Denis Lebedev noted Alexander's fighting character. He also talked about a telephone conversation that took place between them before this fight.

“I remember everything - both the bad and the good. But I know his character, so the hope did not fade for a second. I called him before the fight and said: "Sanya, please, the same concentration as with Joshua." Indeed, in fact, he could have flunked Anthony too ... I'm sure the sofa experts said that "his song is sung." But Povetkin prevented all this. Ladies and gentlemen, this is professional heavyweight boxing, where everything ends with one blow, "Lebedev commented on the result.

In turn, the Russian boxing coach Veli Mamedov paid tribute to the Briton and his team, who managed to prepare well for this confrontation. At the same time, in his opinion, the opponent did not look as powerful as in previous battles.

“It was evident that Alexander was uncomfortable, White attacked from the corners, caught him well, and then knocked him out. But we saw a new quality of Povetkin. Dillian relaxed. It happens that a fighter loses his desire to box. He lost concentration for a second, ”Mamedov explained.

Representatives of other martial arts did not stay aside from Povetkin's triumph. Former Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko congratulated his compatriot on a successful performance.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone, who supported Alexander, who supported him. Povetkin really showed the strength of the Russian spirit. I am very happy for him, I congratulate him on the fact that he gave such a wonderful holiday to all those who worried about him this evening, ”said Shlemenko.

At the same time, some experts drew attention to certain problems of the Briton. So, the famous promoter Bob Arum joked about White's missed uppercut.

"Dillian White was so busy fighting for mandatory contender status for the WBC championship that he did not notice Povetkin's uppercut, from which he flew to the knockout," - wrote Arum.

As for a possible meeting with Fury, many experts are still wary of making a prediction about how Povetkin will look in it.

“I don’t know if this fight will take place. Of course there are chances. But Fury is a fighter of a different style and level. With him everything will be much more complicated, "- quotes the words of the two-time Olympic world champion in boxing Alexei Tishchenko" Championship ".