Whyte dominates, stops Povetkin to reclaim interim heavyweight title in rematch

Cheeseman wins brawl; Campbell Hatton cruises in debut

Heavyweight Dillian Whyte is back in business after exacting revenge against Alexander Povetkin and doing so in dominant fashion.

Seven months after Povetkin knocked Whyte cold to take his WBC interim heavyweight title in upset fashion, Whyte ruthlessly took it back in a one-sided fourth-round knockout victory on Saturday before approximately 500 fans at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar, a British territory off the coast of Spain.

“I’m happier for my team than I am for me because some of my staff missed Christmas with their families,” Whyte said. “They stayed back to help me train. They did so much behind the scenes to get me into the position for a world title fight.”

In the first fight, Whyte put his interim belt and mandatory status for the full title on the line when they met in Brentwood, England on Aug. 22. Whyte was seemingly on his way to a similarly dominating win after dropping Povetkin twice in the fourth round. But Povetkin came out of nowhere in the fifth round and knocked Whyte out with a devastating left uppercut to take the belt and strip him of his status as one of Tyson Fury’s mandatory challengers.

Despite the heavy knockout, Whyte immediately exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch. But the sequel was postponed twice — from Nov. 21 to Jan. 30 and again to Saturday because Povetkin contracted Covid-19 and then was still not well enough to go in January.

Whether Povetkin was still feeling the impact of having been ill with the coronavirus on Saturday is unclear but from his seemingly unsteady walk to the ring until the knockout his legs never seemed steady.

“I was so close, and then one lapse in concentration and I made a mistake. Tonight, I was like, ‘Yo, I’m looking to beat some ass tonight,’” Whyte said.

Whyte had his way with Povetkin from the outset. He came out throwing massive punches in the first round and knocked Povetkin back and wobbled him multiple times, including with a right hand over the top.

“I was trying to get it done in the first round but then I had to relax,” Whyte said.

The pace slowed in the second round but Whyte amped it up again in the third, during which he rocked Povetkin with a clean right hand. Povetkin, meantime, could barely throw or land anything and was often in retreat.

Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 KOs), 41, a 2004 Russian Olympic gold medalist, whose only previous losses came in world title bouts against Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua, seemed to find energy early in the fourth when he and Whyte brawled toe to toe in the early part of the round. But Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs), 32, of England, whose jab was on point throughout the bout, regained control by stuffing jabs in his face and then finished him off.

Whyte sent Povetkin into the ropes with a right hand and when he bounced off them, Whyte landed a short left hook, another hard right hand that wobbled him again and a pinpoint left hook that sent him to his rear end against the ropes. Povetkin beat the count but he was a wobbly mess and referee Victor Loughlin waved it off at 2 minutes, 49 seconds.

“Anybody on the planet that gets hit with that left hook, they’re going down,” Whyte said. “Some of them might get up but most will stay down. He was kind of badly hurt. Now I feel bad. I want him to go home to his family healthy.”

According to CompuBox statistics, Whyte landed 57 of 131 punches (44 percent) and Povetkin was limited to landing just 8 of 72 (11 percent). Whyte outlanded him 13-1 in the first round and never let up. He outlanded him 13-0 in the third round.

“Everyone says a lot of things about me like I’m not this and I’m not that,” Whyte said. “These guys don’t know me. These guys don’t know what I’m capable of and what I can do. When I read the comments about me, I just laugh. I just laugh at these guys because I’m as strong as steel.

“One loss, two losses, so what. It was a good learning fight for me because I had to think in there. I was rushing him but I had to think also. He’s still very heavy-handed and he’s still very good. I’m going to spend some time with my family and just relax. I’ll probably call (Matchroom Boxing promoter) Eddie (Hearn on Sunday) and ask him what we’re doing next. I want to make the most of it now and retire good and healthy.”

Cheeseman wins thriller

Ted Cheeseman (17-2-1, 10 KOs), 25, stopped James Metcalf (21-1,13 KOs), 32, in the 11th round of their action-packed brawl to reclaim the vacant British junior middleweight title.

Cheeseman dropped Metcalf with a left hand in the closing seconds of the 11th round and he was counted out at 2:10 for a thrilling finish. Cheeseman nearly stopped Metcalf in the fourth round.

“Again and again I’m in exciting fights,” Cheeseman said. “I’m always in entertaining fights. I’m improving and maturing. I’m working hard in the gym. Everyone doubted me and thought that I had a lot of miles on the clock. I’m still fresh as a daisy, and again I’ve cemented myself as the No. 1 domestic (154-pound fighter).

“I felt I won the first five or six rounds. I nearly had him out of there in the fourth. I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to waste too much energy’. I used my experience and had a couple of rounds off. I don’t think he’d ever done the 12 rounds. Then it was time for me to step it up, bully him and push him back.”

Campbell Hatton wins debut

Lightweight Campbell Hatton (1-0, 0 KOs), 20, of England, the son of British legend Ricky Hatton, successfully made his professional debut under the watchful eye of his father at ringside and uncle/trainer Mathew Hatton in his corner. He won a decision over short-notice opponent Jesus Ruiz (0-11), 32, of Spain, by the score of 40-36, as judged by referee Loughlin. Despite Ruiz’s awful record, he still has never been stopped.

“At first, I was a little bit disappointed in myself,” Hatton said. “I spoke to Matt and he’s always dead honest with me. A bit brutal at times. He said I could have done better but I definitely didn’t box badly. He said I boxed really well in patches and I should be pleased with it.

“There was a lot of pressure. I did the one thing I said all week that I didn’t want to do -- I let the occasion get to me a bit. Now that occasion is out of the way, it can only get better. I’m pleased and I’m buzzing. It’s a dream come true. There’s no feeling like it.”

Hatton is scheduled for his second fight May 2 on the Dereck Chisora-Joseph Parker undercard.

Photos: Dave Thompson and Mark Robison/Matchroom Boxing