A press conference was held in Moscow with the participation of the interim WBC heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin. The first contender for the super champion title of the World Boxing Council shared his impressions of the victory over Dillian White, spoke about plans for the future and answered whether he considers the Briton the strongest puncher among his former opponents.

Throughout the week, Povetkin remains one of the most talked about athletes in the world of martial arts. As part of the boxing tournament in Brentwood, the Russian knocked out the owner of the WBC time zone White and shocked the boxing world. At the time of the fight, the Briton was considered the favorite among the bookmakers. In addition, the first rounds were dictated by Dillian and made Alexander's fans really excited.

At the beginning of the battle, the Russian Knight did little in the ring, and in the fourth round, his position began to seem critical. Within three minutes, Povetkin was knocked down twice and was close to defeat. At the same time, the athlete himself admitted that he was not nervous about this.

“I was calm, as if I hadn't missed anything. I relaxed and my arms flew, I played a good combination ... I don't know how I was recovering after knockdowns. I was sure what to do. But he is a tough guy, I will not deny. The second knockdown was good, ”Povetkin said during a press conference.

However, in the next segment of the fight Povetkin, as if nothing had happened, went on the attack, got close to White and sent him to the floor with a powerful left uppercut. Many fans and experts immediately recognized the knockout as one of the most striking in the career of the 40-year-old heavyweight. 

“I haven't watched the fight yet, but I will definitely look and draw conclusions, what mistakes were and why I missed. In training, we practiced this blow. Let someone think that this is a lucky punch, but nothing just happens. There are so many experts in boxing now that I don't even know what to say. I don't think White is the main puncher in my career. Wladimir Klitschko has a stronger blow, ”Povetkin said.

Despite the respectful attitude on the part of both opponents, an incident arose on the eve of the battle, which could be regarded as a provocation from the British. At the end of the weighing procedure, White did not shake Povetkin's hand. Although a few days before the show, Dillian admired Alexander and praised his skill in the ring.

As Povetkin admitted, after the end of the fight, he and White shook hands, but did not communicate. He also commented on the incident at the weigh-in, noting that he did not react to the behavior of the Briton.

“Maybe I didn't see it, maybe I got scared because of the coronavirus. I don't care, ”Povetkin said.

It is worth noting that for the newly-made champion, this fight was the fifth in a row held outside his home country. From 2013 to 2017, Povetkin fought exclusively in Russia, after which he decided to radically change the vector of career development and focus on performing abroad. Since then, he has fought four times in the UK and once in Saudi Arabia.

“I liked the British audience. They like boxing. They can root for an athlete from another team, country. As for the performance without spectators, no one paid attention to it. But there are guys who box better, calmer and do more correct things without fans, ”the athlete said.

Of course, one of the main questions concerned the future of Povetkin. The victory over White was supposed to not only allow him to win an interim WBC belt, but also make him a mandatory contender for the Fury title. However, for various reasons, this did not happen. Andrei Ryabinsky, head of the World of Boxing promotion company, said that in the near future Alexander will have a return match with Dillian.

“Revenge is a normal practice. We are interested in this. It was originally planned that the winner will receive the title of a mandatory challenger. But the rules of the game have changed a bit. We haven’t figured it out yet. It will drag on now, but you have to box. The next fight is revenge. We try to keep our word when we sign the documents, ”Ryabinsky said.

The promoter also noted that he would be happy to conduct a return battle between Povetkin and White in Russia, but noted that he does not consider this a primary task.

“I don't see the difference where the fight is to be held. I would like to arrange it in Russia, because there has not been such a major event for a long time. But this is not an end in itself, ”Ryabinsky said.

Povetkin himself admitted that it does not matter for him where to perform, because "Russia is always with him", and also shared his opinion about a possible duel with Alexander Usik. In October 2019, the Ukrainian made his heavyweight debut, taking over Chazz Witherspoon.

“I have a very positive attitude towards Alexander, he is a good person and an athlete. Why should we meet? He has his own way, I have my own. If we were the last boxers in the world, we would fight, but we are not, ”Povetkin said.

Ryabinsky also agreed with him. The promoter did not give up on the prospects of arranging a duel between Povetkin and Usik, but assured that the Russian knight currently has other plans.

"If the question is:" Is this battle real in theory, "the answer is:" Yes, it is. " You can find an option for these two good guys to meet somewhere in the world and fight. But, as Usyk's team said, they have other plans. We too. Why would they fight? And politics will interfere. From rivals will be made enemies. This is not necessary, ”Ryabinsky said.

Povetkin also shared his opinion on the future exhibition duel with the participation of legendary boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. Initially, the fight was supposed to take place on September 12, but was later postponed to November 28. Alexander did not begin to say on whose side his sympathies would be in the upcoming duel, but admitted that he would closely follow the development of events.

“These are great boxers. The whole world will be interested to watch this fight. We wish them good health so that they do not injure each other, ”Povetkin concluded.