Whyte's title aspirations were put firmly on hold last night when Alexander Povetkin knocked him out in devastating fashion on the main event of Matchroom's
Fight Camp 4.
Dillian Whyte, who had been the long-standing mandatory for the WBC world title will now lose his position with the organisation, hampering any potential crack at the winner of Fury-Wilder III.
It will be a tough pill to swallow for Whyte, who over the past couple of years has taken on some serious competition to maintain his ranking and keep his title dreams alive.
Dillian (18 - 2) came into the fight in the shape of his life, weighing in at 18s 6oz and looking ripped on the scales. There's no doubting that he knew the risk posed by Povetkin (36 -2 - 1) and took his training seriously.
Whyte had a fantastic start to the encounter. After a fairly quiet opening round, he began digging in hurtful body shots that had Povetkin looking uncomfortable.
In the third, he found his range with the jab, using it effectively to offset Povetkin each time he looked to launch an attack. Whyte kept the bodywork up too which was beginning to have a real effect by the end of the round.
By round 4 Whyte was in total control, dropping Povetkin twice - once from a short left hook and once from a short inside uppercut. Going into the 5th it looked like Povetkin was all but done when from nowhere he found a home for the type of uppercut that boxers dream of. It was lights for Whyte before he'd even hit the canvas.
What does this mean for Whyte's career?
In recent times the boxing world has developed somewhat of an aversion to a loss on a record. However, it's important to remember that there once was a time when a loss meant nothing. In boxing, when you consistently fight the best, losses are inevitable. Take Muhammad Ali - widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time despite having a couple of L's on his record.
Whyte has lost twice now - once to the current IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO champion, Anthony Joshua, and once of course, to Povetkin - both fighters of such calibre that a loss by no means suggests that Whyte doesn't belong at the top of the division. Take a closer look at his record and you'll also see wins over Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora, and Oscar Rivas.
The loss undoubtedly is a huge setback for Whyte, but given how he was dealing Povetkin before the KO, the boxing world shouldn't be too harsh on him. This is heavyweight Boxing after all, where one punch can change everything.
Whyte can absolutely come back from the loss and quickly work his back into title contention. The key will be in finding the right mind-set and given what Whyte has already overcome in his life, we expect that won't be a problem for the big man from Brixton.
Will we see Whyte - Povetkin II?
Immediately after the dramatic end to the Fight Camp series, Promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports that the first thing Dillian Whyte said to him was 'Get me that rematch', but is an immediate rematch really the best option for Whyte?
Dillian is a proud man and a true fighter - he'll be desperate to both regain his position as mandatory and to level the score with Povetkin - but history tells us that immediate rematches often end in the same result.
Whyte is a man with very little amateur experience who has been learning on the job throughout his pro career against some of the divisions most avoided fighters. He has nothing to prove and at only 32 (which is relatively young for a heavyweight) he still has plenty of time to get that title shot.
Personally, I'd like to see Whyte forget about winning a title for a while, forget about Povetkin, forget about fighting the very best in the division and just take a few fights at the level of a Dominic Breazeale or an Adam Kownacki. If he does that, he'll quickly find himself banging on the door of the champions once more. The Povetkin rematch certainly isn't his only route back to the top.
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