Who Is Looking To Fight New Interim Champion Alexander Povetkin?

“To be honest with you, when the fight started off I thought Povetkin was getting comfortable in there,” Fury would state to Sky Sports. “He’s more of a shorter fighter, Dillian Whyte, so he was able to get his shots off.

“Povetkin was growing with confidence that he was able to get his shots. Dillian Whyte was waiting for that one shot, because he was wary of the power of Povetkin. What he kept doing, Dillian Whyte, he kept putting his hands [out] and going downwards.”

The cousin of WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury, Hughie (24-3) knows Povetkin very well. He fought the former WBA Heavyweight Champion back in August 2019. In a hard-hitting affair, Povetkin would end up winning via unanimous decision. According to CompuBox, Povetkin landed 107 shots while Fury landed 82 of 296 thrown shots.

Fury, a former British Heavyweight Champion, has since rebounded by beating Pavel Sour in March. He won via TKO, his 14th via some form of knockout. Now fully recovered, he believes a rematch with Povetkin will result in a different outcome.

“I took all of his best shots last time, Povetkin, they didn’t bother me at all,” Fury went on to say. “That’s why now, I’m more stronger, more wiser and they are the fights that I want. Trust me, now Povetkin won’t last.”

As far as his game plan for a fight, a healthy Fury is ready to use his full power to take down the current contender.

“Povetkin is a very dangerous puncher, if you let him have the range,” Fury stated. “He’s right up there with them, but when you’re in there, you don’t really feel the shots. I’m probably a bit of a nutcase. I just carry on doing what I’m doing, but I don’t really feel the shots.

“You’ve got to have the smartness in there with the boxing at the same time. That’s why I’m dying for that rematch. I was only going in there with one hand, I couldn’t throw my right hand last time. I kick myself when I watch it and I watch it over and over again.”

After beating Fury, Povetkin fought Michael Hunter to a draw back in December. With the Whyte win, he is 2-1-1 in his last four fights. While he is interim WBC Heavyweight Champion, he will not get the first crack at the winner of Deontay Wilder v. Tyson Fury III. If all goes according to plan, he could face Whyte in a rematch by the end of the year.