Boxing Challenge: Whyte pays back Povetkin

     Dillian Whyte answered a question, but perhaps not others as he wobbled Alexander Povetkin from the opening bell and finished him off in the fourth round- the same round that he dropped Povetkin twice in their first fight before being stopped himself in the following inning.

Povetkin's legs were not going to be compared to the Rock of Gibraltar (site of the fight) and seemed to be sapped from the start as Whyte's punches showed their effects from the start and several times was sent wobbling into the ropes or stumbling around the ring.

One could question if Povetkin's problems absorbing Whyte's punches was due to his short-term recovery from Covid-19 or if it's as simple as the forty-one-year-old Russian is only world-class in punching power at this stage of his career.

Even in this one that Whyte controlled, Povetkin landed a few big shots that didn't floor Whyte but made me look back and consider that perhaps with Povetkin's legs under him could that have made a difference?

Still, Dillian Whyte is the type of heavyweight that is going to make fun and entertaining brawls and he's had them with top heavyweights win or lose against Anthony Joshua, Povetkin, Dereck Chisora, and even Joseph Parker, who doesn't have entertaining bouts with anyone else!

Whyte has the capability of taking anyone out and can be hurt himself, so all of his fights are going to be worth watching, but seeing Povetkin land the occasional counterpunch and even though Whyte didn't find himself severely hurt, I'm still not convinced that Whyte has completely recovered.

While I'd love to see Whyte-Deontay Wilder happen, I have my doubts about that for several reasons (all of them Wilder and PBC) and the same problems occur with an Andy Ruiz matchup.

If the upcoming arbitration between Tyson Fury and Wilder forces a third fight between them, the WBO could (and maybe should) force Anthony Joshua to defend against their top contender in Oleksandr Usyk, which would free up Joe Joyce from his upcoming fight with Usyk and could leave an opening for Whyte vs Joyce in what could make the winner the top contender when the music stops.

For Povetkin, unless his showing can be conclusively shown to have been hampered by his Covid-19 illness, I'd be fine to see him retire from the game.

The former champion would leave now with only three losses and his chin, which was once one of the best in the division, has visibly weakened in recent outings, so it might be time to see him exit stage left before he becomes damaged goods.

Eddie Hearn stated that he'd like to see Whyte fight in the summer and that's a good idea to keep him busy with exposure in the United State not hurting any either.

The heavyweight division is one with many moving parts, the problem is that with so many (Fury, Joshua, Wilder, Ruiz, and Usyk) the moving parts are outside the ring rather than inside it...