Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin Preview August 22nd
Heavyweight Dillian Whyte of Jamaica and Alexander Povetkin of Russia will be slugging it out in Brentwood, England this Saturday, August 22nd. The 12-round bout is for the interim WBC World Title and the vacant WBC Diamond Belt as well. Fans in the UK can catch it on pay per view while those in most of the world can catch it on DAZN. Whyte last fought in December when he beat Mariusz Wach by a 10-round unanimous decision while Povetkin’s last outing was also in December when he fought to a 12-round draw with Michael Hunter.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Whyte vs Povetkin Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Alexander Povetkin +275
- Dillian Whyte -375
My Pick
The 32-year-old Whyte fights out of London, England and is also a former British and WBC International Heavyweight Champion and has won the WBO International and WBC Silver Heavyweight Crowns. He enters the ring at 27-1 with 18 Kos and owns quite a bit of power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 64.3 per cent. Whyte stands 6-feet-4-four inches tall and has a 78-inch reach and has boxed 145 rounds since turning pro in 2011. His biggest wins have been over Wach, Oscar Rivas, Joseph Parker, Lucas Browne, Robert Helenius, Brian Minto and two victories over Dereck Chisora.
Whyte’s lone pro defeat came at the hands of Anthony Joshua via a seventh-round stoppage in December, 2015 before Joshua won his title belts by beating Wladimir Klitschko. Whyte also fought Joshua as an amateur in 2009 and dropped him along the way to a decision win. Whyte’s a former kickboxer and mixed-martial artist with has decent boxing skills but he usually relies on his power to carry him through. He’s got good size for a heavyweight and has a pretty solid chin despite his loss to Joshua and being decked by Parker. Whyte’s also beaten the likes of Ian Lewison, David Allen and Marcelo Luiz Nascimento.
Alexander Povetkin is now close to 41 years old and won the WBA and WBO International Heavyweight Titles with a fifth-round stoppage over David Price in March, 2018. He’s a former WBA World Titleholder whose past proposed bouts against Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne fell through due to irregularities in his drug tests. The former world champion has pretty good power with a current knockout ratio of 63.2 per cent, but has just one stoppage in his last six fights as he was beaten by Anthony Joshua and taken the distance by Hunter, Hughie Fury, Andriy Rudenko and Christian Hammer.
Still, Povetkin enters the ring with a fine record of 35-2-1 with 24 Kos. He won the vacant WBA Heavyweight Title by decision against Ruslan Chagaev in 2011 and his other career loss came against former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision in 2013. He’s got a decent chin even though Klitschko decked him four times, Joshua stopped him in seven and Price rocked him as well. Povetkin won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and has fought 255 rounds since turning pro a year later.
The Russian isn’t big by today’s heavyweight standards as he stands 6-feet-2-inches tall with a 75-inch reach. This puts him at a two-inch height and three-inch reach disadvantage against Whyte. His power and durability are probably underrated as he’s quite a heavy puncher and Whyte will need to be wary of this. Povetkin’s biggest wins have been against the likes of Fury, Andriy Rudenko, Chagaev, Johan Duhaupas, Mariusz Wach, Mike Perez, Carlos Takam, Manuel Charr, Hasim Rahman, Marco Huck, Nicolai Firtha, Eddie Chambers, Chris Byrd, Larry Donald and Friday Ahunanya.
Prediction…
I think this fight could go either way because of the power both men possess. However, Whyte may have more of a killer instinct and he’s also got the edge in height, reach and age. This is a pretty even matchup between two solid heavyweights and no outcome will be surprising. I’d go with Whyte as the likely winner though.
Whyte’s killer instinct could be the difference.
Play: Whyte -375 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Alexander Povetkin betting • Dillian Whyte betting