man what the hell happened to Povetkin

If you look at the RBR from the first fight, plenty of us were saying then that Povetkin was completely shot, lacking balance, was tripping over his own feet, couldn’t let his hands go and had close to zero punch resistance when it came to holding a shot. He was no worse last Saturday, just another 7 months older.

 

Povetkin looked his age. Maybe the recent illness had something to do with it. But Whyte did seem extra focused. There are still question marks surrounding Whyte, but this was a fight he needed to win badly.

 

I think people forget his performance in the first fight was incredibly pedestrian until the KO, which was a touch of real class from a very accomplished boxer. At the time of the knockout, Whyte was 1/50 with the bookies. 90% of the time Povetkin gets turned over in round 5-6 and rides off into retirement. I was surprised how many picked him for the rematch, especially given his serious bout of covid. His balance looked off from the first round and it became clear he needed another stroke of genius to win. He deserves a happy, healthy retirement; all the best to him.