The Hauser Report: “Fight Camp” Ends With a BANG

Matchroom Boxing’s month-long “Fight Camp” ended with a BANG. On August 22, after a month of less than scintillating action, DAZN viewers in the United States saw two fights that were well worth watching.

First, Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) stepped up to scratch and accepted the challenge of a rematch against Delfine Persoon (44-2, 18 KOs). The two women met previously last year with Taylor unifying the four major 135-pound titles by decision in a fight that most onlookers thought Persoon won. To Katie’s credit, she said immediately that she’d fight Delfine again and then made good on her promise.

As in their first encounter, Persoon was the physically stronger fighter. She moved forward for the entire ten rounds, mauling and brawling as best she could. This time though, Taylor boxed more and stood her ground less, rendering Persoon’s pressure tactics less effective.

Katie tired a bit as the fight wore on. Her punches lost some of their sting and she got hit with some good shots. She was never able to discourage Persoon but she did outbox her.

This time, there was no controversy as to the winner. Taylor emerged triumphant by a 96-94, 96-94, 98-93 margin.

“She deserves this time to win,” Persoon acknowledged.

No one should be fooled by Taylor’s physical grace and gentle outside-the-ring demeanor. In the ring, she’s a tough skilled professional fighter.

Taylor-Persoon set the stage for Fight Camp’s grand finale: Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) vs. Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 25 KOs).

Whyte was putting his status as the mandatory challenger to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on the line and was a 4-to-1 betting favorite. The feeling was that Povetkin, who’s closing in on his 41st birthday, had faded to the point where he no longer had the tools to compete successfully against Whyte who was bigger (252 to 224 pounds) and stronger.

Povetkin was busier in the early going, but Whyte put some good hooks to the body in the bank. Then, in round four, Dillian went upstairs and dropped Alexander twice; first with a left hook up top and next with a left uppercut.

At that point, Whyte was in control and Povetkin’s chances looked as good as Peter McNeeley’s against Mike Tyson. Dillian’s ring walk had been preceded by an impressive display of fireworks and he was enjoying the party.

Except Povetkin was the wrong guy to invite to the party.

Thirty seconds into round five, Whyte got sloppy. Povetkin moved inside.

BOOM ! ! !

A left uppercut landed flush on Whyte’s jaw, laying Dillian out flat on his back, unconscious. It was a spectacular, highlight-reel, knockout blow and the last thing anyone expected.

Whyte made a brief post-fight appearance with promoter Eddie Hearn and said simply, “I’m good. It’s one of them things where it just landed.”

There’s a rematch clause that Dillian is expected to exercise in an effort to regain his WBC mandatory challenger status. But there’s no guarantee that he’ll win the rematch. And in any event, that fight can’t be put together overnight. Thus, Povetkin’s spectacular knockout appears to have freed up Tyson Fury for a big-money fight against Anthony Joshua – unless Deontay Wilder or Kubrat Pulev upsets the applecart as Povetkin did on Saturday night.

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His next book – Staredown: Another Year Inside Boxing – will be published this autumn by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. He will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the Class of 2020.

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