Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin Odds and Picks for Main Card

• Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin goes Saturday, August 22nd at 2 PM ET
• Does Whyte retain the gold or will Povetkin return to the win column emphatically?
• Check out odds for this event, my sweet science analysis, and my predictions below
  

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Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin compete at the Matchroom Boxing headquarters in Brentwood, Essex. Whyte vs Povetkin will broadcast on Sky Sports domestically and on DAZN in North America. Matchroom Fight Camp enters it’s fourth and final week with perhaps the strongest card in these last few efforts.

The interim WBC world heavyweight title and the vacant WBC diamond championship will both be on the line in this prizefight. Beyond the gold that’s up for grabs, the winner could position themselves to fight some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division currently.

Whyte vs Povetkin Odds

Odds taken August 18

Dillian Whyte’s Long Journey Towards WBC Gold

Dillian Whyte has spent the last few years climbing up the WBC hierarchy. It began with the international belt, then the silver, and finally the interim title. Dillian Whyte captured that championship over Oscar Rivas via unanimous decision in July of last year. Whyte has amassed an eleven fight win streak since suffering his lone pro loss to Anthony Joshua.

Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua could eventually meet in an undisputed title fight if Tyson Fury refuses to make a mandatory defence and is stripped of his belt, promoter Eddie Hearn said.

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) August 17, 2020

After two previously planned dates fell through for Povetkin and Whyte, promoters are hoping its third time’s the charm. They were initially supposed to lock horns on May 2nd, then July 4th was targeted to no avail, and now it finally looks like the two will clash late summer.

Both of these men are top-notch heavyweights and have only been defeated by those in that rarified air of the division (Whyte’s aforementioned Joshua loss and Povetkin has lost to Joshua as well as Wladimir Klitschko). As much as I’ve talked about the big rewards for the winner, the loser will conversely have their title hopes dashed.

Alexander Povetkin’s Crossroads Moment

Povetkin is a proven professional pugilist in addition to being an Olympic gold medalist. For years, Povetkin was lauded for his KO power but the knockout theatrics have cooled a bit in recent outings. Povetkin is 1-1-1 across his last three fights. His last fight was a draw against Michael Hunter in December of last year. The prior bout saw Povetkin notch a victory over Hughie Fury.

Alexander Povetkin is certainly no stranger to twelve round contests though. He has captured a myriad of WBA belts (regular, continental, intercontinental, and international) plus WBO (international) as well as WBC (international and silver) straps.

.@DillianWhyte & Povetkin , the @WBCBoxing diamond belt is ready ! @DillianPovetkin @MatchroomBoxing @EddieHearn #boxing #uk #Russia pic.twitter.com/Ga5JLPzP6j

— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) August 15, 2020

The winner of this bout could well become the mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury as well. The interim WBC champ gets lined up with the WBC champ who currently is Tyson Fury.

Whyte vs Povetkin Tale of the Tape

Whyte has an unfortunate history of being overlooked in this mandatory challenger position so that remains to be seen. Still, though, it articulates that the winner of this bout jettisons themselves towards that upper tier. In the end, I think Whyte stops Povetkin inside of eight rounds.

Pick: Dillian Whyte (-350)

Main Card picks for Whyte vs Povetkin

1. Chris Kongo vs Luther Clay: Clay enters this bout after his first successful title defense and I see him presenting great underdog value. Though Kongo is unbeaten as a pro I see that changing this weekend. Clay gets it done via unanimous decision. Pick: Luther Clay (+105)
2. Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon: The first fight was extremely controversial with many thinking Persoon should have won the decision. I think Persoon will win via decision this time out. Pick: Delfine Persoon (+325)