Anything can happen in heavyweight boxing.
We know that. But every now and then something happens that sends shock waves through the combat world.
And that’s what we saw on Sunday (AEST) when Alexander Povetkin knocked out out of nowhere to defeat Dillian Whyte in an extremely consistent fight of the heavyweights in London.
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Whyte fought for the provisional WBC crown and the chance to battle the winner of the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder trilogy. In four laps he was in full control. Povetkin dropped twice in the fourth.
Why out like a light!
0:40
But in the fifth round, Povetkin delivered a left uppercut that was endowed with such power and violence that Whyte had no chance of getting up again.
The lights were out and even though there weren’t any fans, the silence was still something to see.
Povetkin, the former WBA world champion, had looked a bit like a 40-year-old when Whyte took control of things early on, but the British star, on track to finally get his shot on the WBC belt, was eating a blow that stopped the fight.
It was Whyte’s second career loss after losing to Anthony Joshua in 2015.
The boxing world couldn’t quite understand what they had just seen. Whyte, 32, was No. 1 in the WBC for over two years.
“This is extraordinary,” said Adam Smith in a comment. “Unbelievable. And when Alexander Povetkin lost every single lap, he was down twice, he finds a huge shot that shows Whyte.
Smith added, “I can’t believe what I just saw.”
Whytes promoter Eddie Hearn, who promised a rematch, added, “When the punch landed, I thought it was a dream. I can not believe it.
“Two big defeats for Whyte – people felt it was over. This is the drama of heavyweight boxing. One blow changed the fight completely.
“It’s a shock. He wasn’t such a huge underdog – we knew how good Povetkin was. It was an exciting knockout on an exciting night. “
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