On paper, it appears that Alexander Povetkin’s back is up against the wall.
On September 22, the embattled former WBA heavyweight champion will step back into the ring when he faces off IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Povetkin vs. Joshua will be aired on the DAZN streaming service and take place from Wembley Stadium in London.
What is even more discussed than the Joshua vs. Povetkin fight is the backlash that still remains following the discussion of Joshua facing WBC champion Deontay Wilder. It’s well known, whether you check out his social media handles or simply pay attention to the news, it was obvious that Wilder was screaming for the matchup to happen later this year.
From Wilder claiming to have sent a $50 million offer, to Team Wilder insisting that Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing was to blame, for many reasons, for not seeing the big fight come through, there has been a lot of headlines in the press on the latest heavyweight fight to fall through.
But does that mean Povetkin isn’t worthy of his shot? In many ways, he is actually one of the most dangerous opponents still lurking above 200 pounds.
For one, Povetkin, now 38 years old, has a wealth of experience that many big men just don’t have. Povetkin won gold at the 2004 Olympics and picked up many other accolades as an amateur. He made a successful professional debut in Germany in June of 2005 and didn’t look back, racking up victory after victory as he rose up the ranks.
Povetkin captured the WBA heavyweight title in August of 2011 and had four successful defenses before losing a wide decision to Wladimir Klitschko in October of 2013. It was a wide loss for Povetkin, 119-104 on all scorecards, in a foul-filled match that he was registered with being knocked down three times in the seventh round.
Povetkin was set to face off with Wilder in May of 2016, at the Megasport Arena, however he failed a drug test that ultimately saw the fight canceled after testing positive for meldonium, a drug that used to be legal. Povetkin has since seen his career plagued by issues, including testing positive for the illegal drug Ostarine before his 2017 schedule matchup vs. Bermane Stiverne, as well as being temporarily suspended by the World Boxing Council (WBC) for failing his drug tests. As of January of 2018, however, Povetkin is back in the WBC’s rankings.
Some people are so infatuated with the idea of Wilder vs. Joshua that they perhaps are overlooking or looking past Povetkin. True enough, it’s been a while since Povetkin’s glory days, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dangerous opponent.Povetkin’s last fight was a brutal stoppage over perennial fringe contender David Price, in a fight that he tasted the canvas himself, as he also holds knockout victories over the likes of Johann Duhaupas, Manuel Charr, Carlos Takam, Mariusz Wach, Mike Perez, Hasim Rahman, Cedric Boswell, and several others. Not too shabby considering the recent state of the heavyweight division.
And, there have always been rumors about Joshua’s chin, that perhaps he can’t take a shot flush to the chin. He was hurt vs. Klitschko, but weathered the storm and scored a late TKO victory. But the fact remains that Joshua vs. Povetkin could very well become a shootout, and if it does, the former champion from Russia figures to at least have a big chance.
