“The Referee Didn’t Count Till 10”- Eddie Hearn Makes a Strange Statement On Dillian Whyte’s Stoppage Against Povetkin

Matchroom CEO Eddie Hearn believes that Dillian Whyte did not get a fair play from the referee in his recent defeat against Alexander Povetkin for the WBC interim heavyweight title on August 22.

While Whyte was brutally knocked out by Povetkin in the fifth round, Hearn claims that the referee called off the fight before counting to 10. However, it still doesn’t change the fact that Dillian Whyte couldn’t have continued in the fight. He was fed to the mat with a horrific uppercut and there’s no way it wasn’t a clean defeat.

Eddie Hearn says Dillian Whyte was getting up in the fight

Being Whyte’s manager, Hearn doesn’t only want to blame him. In a chat with Boxing Social, Hearn said that Whyte didn’t take any damage in the fight other than that one hit. Thus, he is confident of getting the win and the WBC title back on November 28.

The wound of the first defeat still stings as Hearn blamed the referee for not playing a proper role. Pointing it as an early stoppage, he said, “Watch it back, I mean. It was certainly the ref called it off at six or seven, something like that, and he was up shortly after. I mean by the way he wasn’t on his feet again. But he was getting up, is what I am saying. The ref didn’t count till ten.”

However, Hearn did not hesitate to admit that Whyte was badly knocked out. He added, “It wasn’t like he was down on the floor for a long time but listen he was brutally knocked out. I am not saying he wasn’t, I am not saying he was a slip, but you know he was up.”

The rematch will have a lot at stake for Whyte. If he defeats Povetkin, he can fight for the WBC heavyweight championship against can face the winner of Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3. That said, his upcoming fight is also important to restore his dominance and relevancy in the heavyweight division. If Whyte loses another fight, it can endanger his place in the title race.

However, Whyte gained the upper hand in the first round. As the fight progressed, he secured two early knockdowns over Povetkin. Thus, the British pugilist has all the chances of overpowering his opponent in the rematch. That said, he also needs to stay alert, or else he can suffer another shocking loss.