By Jason Kim: WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (24-0, 16 KO’s) may find himself surprised at just how much former WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahmam (50-7-2, 41 KO’s) has left in the tank when they meet on September 29th at the Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, in Hamburg, Germany.

A flabby Povetkin barely got past WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck last February in a 12 round majority decision that could have gone either way. A huffing and puffing Povetkin looked like he was 100 years off as he gasped for breath against a fighter smaller than him and much less busier. Povetkin was really lucky to win that fight because to many observers he should have lost.

Rahman may be past his best years at this point in his career but he still can punch like he used to in that past. The power is still very much there for Rahman. The only thing that he’s lost is the little hand speed he once had and his work rate. Rahman doesn’t throw as many punches as he once did, but he might not need to if he makes his shots count against Povetkin. Rahman is the much bigger puncher, and his jab is a worlds better than Povetkin’s.

The 6’3″ Rahman will have a huge reach advantage of seven inches over the 6’2″ Povetkin, and if he’s smart he’ll use that reach to jab Povetkin to pieces from the outside. It’s interesting to know that Rahman’s reach is identical to that of 6’6″ IBF/WBA/WBO Wladimir Klitschko despite Rahman being three inches shorter than the Ukrainian.

It might take a knockout for Rahman to get a win over Povetkin, however, because the fight is taking place in Germany where Povetkin’s promotional team are located. He’s essentially the hometown fighter in this bout and you have to figure that it gives Povetkin at least a three to four round cushion right off the bat.