By Erik Schmidt: Number #1 ranked IBF and WBO heavyweight contender Alexander Dimitrenko (29-0, 19 KOs) wasn’t the least impressed with former 2004 Olympic heavyweight Gold Medalist Alexander Povetkin’s (17-0, 12 KOs) recent 10-round unanimous decision victory over Jason Estrada last weekend and wants a fight with Povetkin with the winner to move forward for a fight against IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Alexander Povetkin
Povetkin Decisions Estrada, Looks Slow
By Erik Schmidt: In a stay busy fight, International Boxing Federation number #1 mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (17-0, 12 KOs) defeated American Jason Estrada (15-2, 3 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision tonight in Dusseldorf, Germany. Povetkin, 29, the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist for Russia, was making his first appearance since beating Taurus Sykes in 2008, and didn’t look quite as good as he usually does.
News: Estrada Faces Povetkin; David vs. Quigley on March 28th
The long awaited showdown between America’s leading young heavyweight prospect, 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada, and Alexander Povetkin, 2004 Olympic gold medalist and the IBF’s No. 1 contender, will finally happen April 4 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Estrada-Povetkin, Williams-Licina – News
Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. president Jimmy Burchfield made several key announcements today, ranging from a minimum 11-fight schedule in 2009 to major fights in Germany for two of his top fighters, Jason “Big Six” Estrada and cruiserweight “Awesome” Aaron Williams.
News – Povetkin vs. Estrada, Pavlik vs. Rubio, Cruz Defeats Thomas
Kelly Pavlik’s trainer Jack Loew believes the middleweight champion must defeat Marco Antonio Rubio this weekend to get his career back on track. Pavlik fights for the first time since he lost to Bernard Hopkins in October last year. Loew told the Steve Bunce Boxing Hour on Setanta Sports News that this was a fight that Pavlik could not afford to lose. He said:
Arreola, Chagaev, Haye & Povetkin – Who’s The Best?
By Dave Lahr: As we survey the heavyweight scene one has to wonder who will be the top heavyweight in the future after the Klitschko brothers retire. As if now, there’s no one heavyweight that stands out above the rest. There’s currently four heavyweights that stand out from the rest of the division and look like one of them may have the talent to be good enough to dominate for awhile. With that said, all of the current crop of heavyweights is badly flawed and hardly the type of fighters that will make much of a lasting mark. Below I’ve listed the heavyweights that have the best chance of taking over after the Klitschkos retire.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin On Dec. 13 In Mannheim, Germany
By Jason Kim: International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) will be defending his title on December 13th, in Mannheim, Germany, against Alexander Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs). The bout pits two former Olympic Gold Medalists, Klitschko the 1996 winner and Povetkin the 2004 Gold medal winner. In Povetkin’s case, he’s been moved up rapidly into this title match by his handlers after winning the IBF mandatory tournament with wins over Chris Byrd and Eddie Chambers.
At 29, Povetkin may or may not be the future of the heavyweight division, depending on how well he does against Klitschko on December 13th and how long he can compete with his high energy style of fighting. He’s not blessed with a lot of power or size compared to many other heavyweights, but he more than makes up for it with his high volume punch output. Listed at 6’2″, Povetkin is probably closer to 6’0″, possibly 6’1″ at the most, which will be a problem for him against the 6’6″ Klitschko. Povetkin will be forced to eat a lot of leather in order to get close enough to land his short combinations. The problem with that, however, is that Wladimir likes to tie up his opponents when they get in close range, something he likes to do again and again.
Boxing News: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin – Coming Soon!
By Eric Thomas: in the latest boxing news, IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (51-3, 45 KOs) is reportedly close to signing for his title defense against undefeated IBF mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs), a bout that possibly will be taking place on December 3rd. If this turns out to be the case, then it’s good news for Klitschko, who is badly in need of an interesting fight after having fought six rather dull, safety-first, fights consecutively against the likes of Calvin Brock, Lamon Brewster, Chris Byrd, Ray Austin, Sultan Ibragimov and most recently against Tony Thompson.
To the best of my knowledge, the last time that Klitschko looked close to being good was against his fight against Samuel Peter in 2005. That’s a long three years ago, and he’s looked mostly mediocre since then, fighting only hard enough to get a victory, nothing more. Of course, a big part of the problem has been his poor opposition, most of which have either been too small or too weak to give him much problems. you can’t exactly apply the label of being too small in the case of the 6’5″ Austin and Thompson, but neither of them had the power or the speed to give Wladimir any problems.
Is Povetkin Ready For Wladimir Klitschko?
By Erik Schmidt: After watching unbeaten heavyweight Alexander Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs) dispatch a rather reluctant, timid-looking Taurus Sykes (25-5-1, 7 KOs) in the 4th round last Saturday night at the Olimpyskiy Sports Palace, in Chekhov, Russia, I have grave concerns about whether Povetkin, 28, is ready for a fight against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in the near future. Given the fact that Povetkin not too long ago won the IBF tournament to become Klitschko’s number # 1 mandatory challenger, by defeating Americans Chris Byrd and Eddie Chambers, it put Povetkin in line for a shot against Klitschko.
That’s all well and good, but with only 16 fights under his belt, I’m not sure if it’s especially smart for Povetkin to be thrust into a fight this early with a fighter as seasoned, powerful, elusive and as tall as Wladimir. Say what you will about Wladimir having a bad chin, but he’s done reasonably good job of protecting it for the past four years, going unbeaten in his last nine fights since losing to Lamon Brewster by a 5th round TKO in April 2004. Povetkin, a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and considered perhaps the 2nd or 3rd best heavyweight in the division at this point, doesn’t really have the kind of one-punch power that Wladimir has historically had problems with.
Povetkin Stops Sykes, Is Klitschko Next?
By Erik Schmidt: Looking as if he wanted to be anywhere rather than the boxing ring, journeyman Taurus Sykes (25-5-1, 7 KOs) was stopped in the 4th round of a scheduled 10-round bout tonight by IBF number #1 ranked contender Alexander Povetkin 16-0, 12 KOs) at the Olimpyskiy Sports Palace, in Chekhov, Russia. Sykes, 33, whose body language seemed to indicate that he wasn’t interested in fighting, was eventually taken out by Povetkin in the 4th after the Russian landed two consecutive right hooks, neither of which landed flush, but none the less sent Sykes down. He stayed down for the count, only attempting to get up after the referee had counted him out at 0:48 of the 4th round. The win sets up Povetkin, the IBF mandatory challenger, for bout with heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko likely later on this year.
Povetkin, 28, a former 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist for Russia, whose biggest problem in the fight was catching up to the constantly running and clinching Sykes, who made it tough for Povetkin in the first three rounds to land his powerful punches. However, Povetkin adapted well to Sykes’ defensive posture by charging at him frequently and landing two to three shots before being clinched by Sykes.