Alexander Povetkin faced the then interim WBC champion, Dillian Whyte on August 22. The fight started, Whyte looked in incredible shape, the best he has ever looked physically. He was the favorite coming in the fight.
Dillian Whyte scored two knockdowns in the fourth round, which many would have thought will be an easy fight for Whyte. Unfortunately for Whyte, the next round Povetkin landed a vicious uppercut on Whyte that made the British boxer lay flat on the ground. It was ruled a technical knockout but it should have been a knockout due to Whyte being unconscious.
Whyte was originally scheduled to face Wilder since he was the WBC mandatory challenger but was delayed due to the Fury rematch. Whyte took a risk and faced Povetkin which led to him losing.
After his loss, Whyte exercised the rematch clause since he took a risk of fighting when can just wait it out. The event was originally scheduled for November 21, 2020, but was canceled due to Povetkin testing positive for COVID.
It was planned to rebook around January of 2021 but according to some reports, Povetkin cannot fight on that timeline since he is still recovering from the COVID. Whyte has no choice but to wait it out for the moment.
Alexander Povetkin has fought for the world heavyweight belts but always fell short. His fight against Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua was his chance to become the heavyweight champion. He may now be out of his prime and is 41 years old especially being positive for COVID.
Povetkin could choose to retire with a win on his record or still fight for another chance with the WBC belt. No official date and venue have been announced for the fight as of the moment.
