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Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?


The_budweiser
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On September. 22, IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will return to the ring when he faces off with former heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin inside of the Wembley Stadium.

 

While the fight itself, on paper at least, represents a decent enough matchup between two top ten heavyweights, the matchup is hard to look at without considering the backstory.

 

For many fans in the sport of boxing, they are still reeling from the aftermath of all the talk about WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Joshua fighting sometime this year.

 

Wilder is one of the most popularizing figures in the heavyweight division and to anyone who has been following him on social media, it's clear as day how much he loves to talk about fighting Joshua.

 

We all know that Wilder and Joshua are not fighting this year. Of course, each side has their story. Wilder and his team (he is managed by Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon) believe fully that Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn is the one who is trying to sway the fight from happening.

 

Some point to the fact that Joshua vs. Povetkin will be featured on the DAZN streaming service for which Hearn has a $1 billion output deal. Joshua vs.. Povetkin is definitely a great way to kick off Hearn's partnership with DAZN, as, had Wilder been in play, talks would have instead turned to a possible pay-per-view showdown.

 

Wilder has been fighting exclusively on SHOWTIME these past few years, and who knows his or his team's thoughts on showcasing on DAZN.

 

Wilder has his own history with Povetkin too, as the two men were schedule to face off in May of 2016 inside of the Megasport Arena in Moscow, Russia in what was expected to be the 4th title defense for Wilder. That scheduled match never happened, as a week before the schedule fight it was reported that Povetkin had tested positive for the banned substance meldonium and the match was cancelled.

 

So, it's not really a surprise that there is some backlash taking place because of Joshua facing Povetkin next. But that doesn't change the fact that this is actually one of the more interesting fights to make at heavyweight.

Povetkin, for all his troubles, is a top ten heavyweight with a wealth of experience. The Russian fighter has a 34-1 record with 24 knockouts and his only loss to date was to then-lineal heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in October of 2013.

Everyone loves an underdog and Povetkin is certainly that heading into this fight. Boxing Betting is on the rise and if you are looking to win some cash, an Anthony Joshua KO is likely to return you winnings and if you pick the correct round the drinks could be on you.

Povetkin is riding an eight-bout winning streak (Six by knockout) and is coming off of a wild, back-and-forth thriller that saw him stopped troubled contender David Price on March 31 of this year. That fight was on the undercard of Joshua's unanimous decision over Joseph Parker, who he captured the WBO title from.

 

Povetkin also holds victories over Michael Perez, Hasim Rahman, Marco Huck, Chris Byrd, Johann Duhaupas, Mariusz Wach, Christian Hammer, and others.

 

At 38 years old, Povetkin knows that this very well may be his last shot, so he has to be training as if this is his fight of a lifetime when he and Wilder face off inside of Wembley Stadium come September.

 

So many times in the sport of boxing, you will see fans salivating for a huge mega fight to happen, only to see it get derailed because one of the opponents caught an unexpected loss.

 

With Wilder likely to face off with once-beaten contender Dominic Breazeale late this year, both he and Joshua will have to deal with the obstacles in front of them before any talks of a dream heavyweight showdown continue.

 

For Joshua's side, while it may not seem like it do to all the banter taking place, he actually has one of the most dangerous men at heavyweight in front of him. Let's just hope 'AJ' can stay focused through it all.

 

By Chris Robinson

 

 

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

Povetkin is a genuine threat and probably the most dangerous option outside of Wilder, at least until Fatty Fury gets his act together.

 

Rob, do you think AJ will be more cautious in this fight like he was against Parker? I think this could make the final unless Povetkin tires or gets reckless.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

Rob, do you think AJ will be more cautious in this fight like he was against Parker? I think this could make the final unless Povetkin tires or gets reckless.

 

If we take Joshua at his word, team Parker were able to con him into believing his jaw was a little suspect and he modified his approach to the fight accordingly. I tend to think there is some truth in it because it certainly was a cautious, disciplined version of Joshua in evidence on the night.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

Actually I don't. Parker and Joshua were both reluctant to get hit making for a very passive experience. Povetkin's going to come forward and look to land his left hook.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

I honestly don't think a non-PED Povetkin is a threat to anyone in the top ten.

 

There's no way to know for sure, of course, but he was very obviously a walking Russian lab experiment for quite a few years.

 

He's also getting old.

 

He also needs to fight on the inside, and I'm sure AJ will have another ref in his pocket, to break them at every opportunity (even while short punches are flying) just like in the Parker fight.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

I honestly don't think a non-PED Povetkin is a threat to anyone in the top ten.

 

There's no way to know for sure, of course, but he was very obviously a walking Russian lab experiment for quite a few years.

 

He's also getting old.

 

He also needs to fight on the inside, and I'm sure AJ will have another ref in his pocket, to break them at every opportunity (even while short punches are flying) just like in the Parker fight.

 

Joshua would probably be more than happy if the Italian referee who did Joshua-Parker was appointed. Whoever gets the job let's hope they let the guys fight.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

--- Terrible ref to be sure, but fair in that he hindered both fighters equally.

 

Best moment was after boxing a rd with a half foot of dangling tape Josh got mad and ripped off the offending strip.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

 

He also needs to fight on the inside, and I'm sure AJ will have another ref in his pocket, to break them at every opportunity (even while short punches are flying) just like in the Parker fight.

 

Given Joshua likes to throw the uppercut, the ref was hardly helping him out by breaking them up. Parker was clueless, as everyone other than you knew long ago.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

Given Joshua likes to throw the uppercut, the ref was hardly helping him out by breaking them up. Parker was clueless, as everyone other than you knew long ago.

 

I agree with Gav. The ref didn't do Joshua any favours by splitting them up at every oppertunity. Referees should at least give fighters a chance to work out the clinch rather than jumping in at every opportunity. There too eager to get involved.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

--- Terrible ref to be sure, but fair in that he hindered both fighters equally.

 

Best moment was after boxing a rd with a half foot of dangling tape Josh got mad and ripped off the offending strip.

 

If they were identical fighters with identical strengths and weaknesses I would concur with that.

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

I agree with Gav. The ref didn't do Joshua any favours by splitting them up at every oppertunity. Referees should at least give fighters a chance to work out the clinch rather than jumping in at every opportunity. There too eager to get involved.

 

 

 

With all due respect, Bud, ARE YOU HIGH?

 

Aj is an outside fighter and Parker can ONLY fight from midrange or closer.

 

It couldn't have been more obvious that they were protecting AJ. Gimme a break ......

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

Povetkin is a threat for sure especially if he can land that left hook inside. They need a good ref who allows inside fighting. I was always a big fan of Steve "Let them kill each other " Smoger or undervalued Italian referee Ingo Barrabis. He does not like to get involved & he let's guys fight inside as long as they are not holding or clinching much. He will allow guys to fight out of it in the trenches...

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Re: Could Alexander Povetkin derail an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder Showdown?

 

"Clean" Povetkin is not particulary hard hitting nor exciting, but still I'm waiting for this fight. Obviously, the fact that Takam and Parkam have lost yesterday may hurt credibility of AJ's last two wins a little bit. People always expect knockouts from Joshua, but he failed to score a "proper" KO over Takam and to floor Parker, something what Chisora and Whyte have achieved. Povetkin is very skillful and usually comes forward. I think that this'd be a new experience for Joshua, but he's still a 90% favorite for me.

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