Today the most popular Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin will have a very important fight. At stake in him is definitely the status of a contender for the title of the World Boxing Council (WBC) in the heavyweight division, and maybe, in fact, just a champion. And on the way to these bonuses, Povetkin has long seemed to deserve the opportunity to fight for the title from Briton Dillian White. And the Russian veteran will have to fight him on a foreign field and against the background of some strange conviction of White’s compatriots that he should not lose.
This fight, which, like other fights in August, British promoter Eddie Hearn arranges on his estate, turned into a boxing bubble, more or less isolated from the coronavirus, must be considered one of the main this summer. The category is the most visible. WBC title contender status is being played. This is formal. In fact, we can talk about just a champion title.
An explanation is needed here. Today the heavyweight division belongs entirely to Great Britain. The WBC belt is owned by Tyson Fury, the rest of the belts are owned by the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) – by Anthony Joshua. Fury has a rematch against American Deontay Wilder, who he defeated earlier this year. But recently, representatives of the WBC champion team said that this fight – already the third in a row with the same opponent – is not too interesting for him, but the unification fight with Joshua is interesting. And for his sake, Fury is even ready to abandon the obligatory defense of his title, and, therefore, to “release” him, as they say in boxing. In favor of whoever wins today’s fight.
In the announcements of the British press (BBC, The Guardian), however, they used a simpler wording – in favor of Dillian White, a 32-year-old man in his prime and talent, who – well, what can I say – logically, in all fairness, apparently deserves a chance get a champion belt. White is a really cool boxer, not one-sided, physically strong, but his track record – the track record of someone who does not seem to get a prize in a crazy way. In 28 battles, he suffered only one defeat: in 2015, he was defeated by Joshua, who was then climbing to the top of the category hierarchy. Before and after this fight, Dillian White handled – and, as a rule, convincingly – with many strong opponents like Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker, Lucas Brown, Derek Chisora, Mariusz Wach. And before the fight with Povetkin, he went through, they say, very intensive training in a training camp in Portugal, before the show moved to a trailer on the territory of the Hirna estate.
Only now, the confidence in White’s doom, or something, for success, expressed, among other things, in boxing quotes (on his winning bets were accepted yesterday with odds up to 1.5), can, of course, run into a serious barrier. Last year, Alexander Povetkin, already a veteran, did not look like a real candidate for the title. He returned to the ring after a heavy defeat from Anthony Joshua (only the second, by the way, in his career – the first was from another outstanding heavyweight, Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko) and surgery on injured elbows. The prospects in front of him were vague – rather, something like a gradual, through farewell tour, retirement.
But the idea of the potential, of the bar of Alexander Povetkin, who still has no equal in domestic boxing in terms of popularity, was adjusted by two matches against very good boxers – the British Hughie Fury and the American Mile Hunter. Fury Povetkin confidently won, with Hunter a draw, but she was not one of those who look like a gift from the judges. And the effect produced by these battles is well illustrated by various unofficial ratings. In the BoxRec rating, let’s say, after them, Povetkin is in fifth position. And this, by the way, is a line higher than White.
The head of the World of Boxing promotion company working with Alexander Povetkin, Andrei Ryabinsky, before the British fight, told Kommersant that the Russian heavyweight assured him: he feels great and is ready for a fight, although due to the pandemic, the closure of borders and there were problems with the selection of sparring -partners. And speaking about what will be the key factor in the fight, Ryabinsky suggested that after all, “physics”: “You see, Sasha’s psychology is all right – he never worries at all, he is always cold-blooded, he has tremendous inner power. The question is whether there is enough gasoline, that with endurance, with speed. In the fight with Hunter, he began to give up in the later rounds, but during the preparation we tried to correct this moment. “
– .
