By Eric Thomas: In disappointing news from the heavyweight front, WBA paper heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (22-0, 15 KO’s) Could be facing 38-year-old former IBF/WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KO’s) next in a fight that could take place in December.

Povetkin, 32, was previously on course to fight 49-year-old Evander Holyfield next, but it’s looking like Rahman, who the WBA recently installed as the number #1 contender, could be the next fight for Povetkin for his first title defense.

Having Rahman as his first title defense is pretty much the same thing as defending the title against Holyfield, because Rahman hasn’t beaten a quality heavyweight since defeating Monte Barrett in 2005, and that was a kind of a fringe heavyweight.

You have to go back to 2001 for Rahman’s last real win over someone really good and that was when he pulled off a huge upset win over Lennox Lewis. Since then, it’s been mostly wins over 2nd heavyweights and/or fringe contenders.

Whether he faces Rahman or Holyfield next, Povetkin is going to take a soft opponent. He doesn’t appear eager to take on a threat to him like Robert Helenius, Chris Arreola, Denis Boytsov or Alexander Dimitrenko.
Povetkin defeated former WBC heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev by a 12 round decision last August to claim the WBA title, which had been taken from Wladimir Klitschko after he beat David Haye to capture the WBA belt last July. Wladimir was then elevated to WBA Super World heavyweight champion by the WBA. This freed up the WBA regular title for Povetkin and Chagaev to fight over it.