Cooney would obliterate that bum inside of 3. Whyte would be irrelevant in that era. He'd be domestic level.
Cooney will likely be able to land his hook earlier given his reach advantage. Cooney tko 3. However, if Whyte survives the early rounds, its not inconceivable that he could win late.
Whyte's prime performance was against Parker in 2018. Lets assess that. A fight which he; - Knocked down Parker with a headbutt. - Knocked down Parker with a left hook that was easily the best punch thrown of his career. - Got away with rabbit punching in the clinch, lowblows and wild liberties all night. Even then he nearly lost the fight at the death. Cooney by a wide wide margin.
This is a hilariously poetic way to assess their careers. It's impossible to overlook or downplay the severity of the Povetkin loss. Whyte was actually winning this fight and knocked him down, then walked right into a land mine of an uppercut. It not only exposed how limited his overall ability was, it exposed his complete lack of defense and weakness. Cooney by KO in 4.