Alexander Povetkin earned plenty of accolades following his latest victory.
Not among them, however, is a guaranteed shot at the heavyweight crown.
The 2004 Olympic Gold medalist and veteran contender was on the delivering end of the leading candidate for 2020 Knockout of the Year, following his one-punch highlight reel 5th round knockout of Dillian Whyte. The feat took place this past Saturday at Matchroom Boxing headquarters in Brentwood, Essex, England, with the main event intended to keep Whyte active while awaiting a promised mandatory title shot versus WBC and two-time lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21KOs).
That is now gone, along with the WBC interim heavyweight title Whyte brought into the ring. Povetkin laid claim to the title, although the mandatory challenger status once enjoyed by his latest foe does not transfer ownership with Saturday’s result.
“The WBC made all the provisions regarding the mandatory status of the heavyweight division with regards to Dillian Whyte,” Mauricio Sulaiman, longtime and recently re-elected president of the WBC told BoxingScene.com. “We made it clear, and consistent with the WBC Board of Governors’ ruling at [the 2019] WBC Annual Convention, had Dillian Whyte won the fight on Saturday, the winner of the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder third fight would have to face him next.
“This [result] changes the scenario.”
Given its by-laws, naming Russia’s Povetkin (36-2-1, 25KOs) as the new mandatory challenger isn’t that simple. While the interim title was at stake (along with the WBC Diamond belt), the bout itself was never designated as a mandatory title fight. Rather, it was a granted optional defense for Whyte (27-2, 18KOs) while waiting out the third fight between Manchester, England’s Fury and Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Wilder (42-1-1, 41KOs) as so promised in writing by the Mexico City-based sanctioning body.
At the time of the original WBC ruling, it was determined that Whyte would be granted his overdue title shot by no later than February 2021. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic somewhat complicated matters, as it has now twice postponed Fury-Wilder III and with the threat of the bout not taking place until the first quarter of 2021 or any point when fans are once again permitted in attendance without social distancing restrictions.
Regardless of when the fight takes place, Whyte had dibs on the winner up until getting drilled with a perfectly placed left uppercut which put him flat on his back and out for the night. Because it was functionally an optional fight, there existed the legal wiggle room for promoter Eddie Hearn to include a rematch clause—one which has already been acknowledged by the WBC in assessing next steps to determine the next mandatory title challenger.
For now, it would appear that Povetkin—who turns 41 in September—would have to once again beat Whyte in order to get a straightaway shot at the title. That decision or another solution will come in due time.
“The result from [Saturday] night and having Povetkin as the new WBC interim champion will have the WBC address this matter.”
It is potentially good news for those hoping that in the near future lies a heavyweight championship with all of the major belts on the line. All currently reside in England, with Fury claiming the true lineal championship—reestablished in his 7th round knockout of Wilder in their rematch this past February—while countryman Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21KOs) is a two-tour unified titlist and currently in possession of the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO belts.
Joshua is currently burdened with two mandatory challengers in waiting—Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev (28-1, 14KOs) and Ukraine’s former lineal cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13KOs). The bout with Pulev was originally scheduled to take place on June 20, but has been delayed several times over due to the ongoing global health crisis. The bout is now eyed for the 4th quarter of 2020, along with a heavyweight clash between Usyk and England’s Dereck Chisora (32-9, 23KOs).
For the first time in years, there no longer exists a mandatory challenger in waiting for the WBC strap. It was a mess the sanctioning body finally managed to sort out a year ago, and confirmed during the 58th WBC Annual Convention earlier this month.
Then came the uppercut heard ‘round the world—with Povetkin doing so one round after having been floored twice himself—which now potentially creates a clear path for Fury (or Wilder, should he avenge his lone loss) to set his sights on the challenger of his choosing.
“There is no date or time limitations at this moment for the heavyweight mandatory,” confirms Sulaiman.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
