Boxing: Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin preview

Boxing's heavyweight division continues to sizzle, as Dillian Whyte inches closer to a world-title shot with Tyson Fury.

Whyte's next test is perhaps his toughest — former world champion Alexander Povetkin. With Whyte on the cusp of a huge fight with Fury, Povetkin can have a say in what could be his last chance at a title. The fists will fly in Manchester and BetAmerica has you covered!

Whyte is a deserving favorite

Though this fight could end up being competitive, depending on which version of Whyte shows up, the odds stacked in his favor isn’t a surprise. Whyte has all the characteristics that an aging fighter like Povetkin would try to avoid. Whyte is taller, longer, stronger, faster, and most importantly — younger.

Povetkin is in decline

We’ve seen Povetkin’s punch resistance and dexterity decline over his last few fights. Though he is still tough as nails, Povetkin's last good effort came in a stoppage loss to Anthony Joshua two years ago and hasn’t looked good since. Povetkin is lucky Michael Hunter ran out of gas in their fight, and he was able to salvage a draw.

Povetkin has a bad habit of dropping his hands when he closes the distance, which will give Whyte a clear indicator of when to engage or defend. Whyte should dictate the pace from the beginning, with Povetkin aiming to land a big shot to slow him down. Catching Whyte will be tough, especially since he is tough on the inside and can take a good punch on the chin.

Povetkin has to land something wicked to establish momentum. Whyte will have to take some risks to land body shots and slow the aging Povetkin to a crawl, which could open the door for such an opportunity. After he gets a better idea of how to approach Povetkin, Whyte will alternate between mugging him up close and using his reach to tag him at will.

Expect an explosive fight early on

For the first few rounds, this could be an explosive fight. Povetkin’s only chance is to spark Whyte out early, and he is definitely going to go for it. Whyte should circumvent any dangerous moments early and turn up the volume late.

Whyte’s reach and body punching is just going to be too much for Povetkin to overcome, and he should see his hands raised after winning a competitive decision.

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