Dillian Whyte smashes Alexander Povetkin for easy TKO victory to reclaim interim WBC heavyweight title

Whyte exorcised some demons in stopping Povetkin in the fourth round on Saturday

In his first fight with Alexander Povetkin, Dillian Whyte's failure to finish his opponent despite multiple knockdowns in the fourth round was his undoing. In the rematch on Saturday evening in Gibraltar, Whyte again had Povetkin hurt in the fourth round, but this time he closed the show with a spectacular knockout to regain the interim WBC heavyweight championship.

When the two met in 2020, Povetkin rose from two fourth-round knockdowns to score a stunning upset knockout in the fifth. Whyte was sharper in the rematch, working off a strong jab that Povetkin could not manage to avoid from the opening bell. Those jabs opened up heavy right hands from Whyte that had Povetkin consistently on the defensive.

Povetkin, who battled COVID-19 late in the year, spent much of the fight unsteady on his feet, appearing to have trouble with his footwork throughout the fight and being stumbled repeatedly.

Whyte landed solid power shots in every round, but in Round 3, he appeared close to taking out Povetkin as several overhand rights landed flush. Povetkin did not appear to have recovered well between rounds and looked on the verge of going down throughout the round before a right hand stumbled him back into the ropes.

Whyte poured on the pressure until Povetkin crumbled to the canvas. He rose to beat the 10 count, but was on unsteady legs, leading the referee to stop the fight as Povetkin's corner threw in the towel at the 2:39 mark of Round 4.

"I'm ready to run it again if he wants it again," Whyte said after the fight. "If he wants a rematch, if there's the right money, I'll run it again. I shouldn't have lost the first time. I'm just annoyed. The first time I shouldn't have lost."

Asked who he wanted to fight next, Whyte asked his promoter, Eddie Hearn, to give him an easy fight to make good money. Hearn didn't seem opposed to a quick turnaround, but said the ultimate goals included a big fight with former world champion Deontay Wilder and an eventual world championship bout.

"For me, we called for the Deontay Wilder fight for a long, long time," Hearn said. "He actually DMed and said I'll never give you that fight. Now he's calling for that fight. To me, that's a stadium fight. I'd like to get him back out again quickly in the summer. But the goal has always been to get Dillian Whyte a world title."

Before his stunning KO loss to Povetkin in the first fight, Whyte had been the WBC mandatory challenger for more than 1,000 days. Now, again with the interim championship, he's in position to eventually get the opportunity he has been waiting for.

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Fight card, results

• Dillian Whyte (c) def. Alexander Povetkin via fourth-round TKO
• Fabio Wardley def. Eric Molina via fifth-round knockout
  
• Ted Cheeseman def. James Metcalf via 11th-round knockout
  
• Nick Webb def. Erik Pfeifer via second-round TKO
  
• Campbell Hatton def. Jesus Ruiz via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
  
• Michael McKinson def. Chris Kongo via unanimous decision (95-94, 96-94, 97-93)

Povetkin vs. Whyte scorecard, live coverage

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Povetkin	9	9	9										27
Whyte	10	10	10	TKO									30

[Mar 27, 2021 at 7:11 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte -- Round 4: Whyte cracked Povetkin again, this time badly wobbling him. Another clean shot landed, but Povetkin continued to remain on his feet, still trying to wing heavy power shots in return. The Whyte jab has remained a very effective weapon in the fight, snapping Povetkin's head back with regularity. Again, a Whyte right hand punished Povetkin as he tried to come inside. Povetkin rocked badly with a right hand, Whyte follows up with more heavy blows and Povetkin crashes into the ropes and to the floor. Povetkin to his feet but he's unsteady and the referee stops the fight as the corner throws in the towel. Whyte brings a stool over and helps Povetkin sit down after the stoppage. Great showing for Whyte as he left no doubt. Official result: Dillian Whyte def. Alexander Povetkin via TKO4

[Mar 27, 2021 at 7:06 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte -- Round 3: Whyte just missed with a winging right hand before landing a stiff jab. Povetkin charged in and Whyte slipped to the canvas, but no knockdown called, as was correct. A big Whyte right hand landed clean to the face of Povetkin, stumbling him back, as did another right hand, but Povetkin remained upright. Whyte got on his bike and circled around the outside of the ring, picking spots to step in with a hard jab. Whyte got in one final right hand in the final seconds of the round, securing yet another on the card. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Whyte (30-27 Whyte)

[Mar 27, 2021 at 7:02 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte -- Round 2: Povetkin again was caught off balance early in the round, continuing a trend of unsteady footwork early. Povetkin tired to swim in with some winging punches, but missed, only to be hit with a one-two combo from Whyte. Povetkin began to swell under his left eye during the round but continued trying to find a spot for a winging left hook, but missed the mark until the end of the round. A slower round than the first, but still should tilt Whyte's way. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Whyte (20-18 Whyte)

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:58 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Whyte again got in with a good right hand and he's looking to land some big bombs early. Povetkin tried to get back into the swing by taking some odd angles with his punches, but Whyte caught him with another clean right hand.Whyte landed one more hard right to the body before the round came to a close. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Whyte

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:56 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte -- Round 1: Whyte opened up looking to establish his jab from the jump, throwing a few ast ones down the pipe. Povetkin tried to respond with his own but Whyte landed some good shots and rocked Povetkin badly. Povetkin stumbled into the ropes before catching his footing again, all in the opening minute.

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:42 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Ring walks are beginning now for Whyte vs. Povetkin 2. The fight is fast approaching.

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:30 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

The rematch is up next. Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin for the interim WBC championship. Whyte is looking to avenge his shocking knockout loss from last year. He is a significant favorite to do so.

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:19 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Molina had Wardley badly hurt and as he tried to flurry for the finish, it was Wardley who landed the big shots and Molina droped. Molina failed to beat the 10 count and Wardley has won by knockout. Molina complained after the fight that he was struck in the back of the head, but this one is over.

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:16 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Molina got roughed up a bit in Round 4, but did manage to fire back down the stretch as Wardley got a bit lazy with his defense. The heavyweight feature fight continues rolling on to Round 5.

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:09 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Through two rounds, Wardley looks like the fresher fighter, but he's not getting in much effective offense against a faded version of Molina, who has twice fought for world titles, losing by knockout to both Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.

[Mar 27, 2021 at 6:03 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

We are in the first round of Fabio Wardley vs. Eric Molina, the heavyweight fight serving as chief support for the rematch between Povetkin and Whyte. The main event will be up next.