Should Wladimir Klitschko been disqualified for holding against Povetkin?

wlad793IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KO’s) showed very little interest in mixing it up with WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (26-1, 18 KO’s) in beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision last Saturday night by the scores 119-104, 119-104 and 119-104 in Moscow, Russia.

For those who thought they were going to see an actual fight it must have been disappointing to the extreme because Wladimir immediately started clinching after every punch in the 1st round of the fight. I lost track of how many times Wladimir opted to clinch Povetkin, but I counted close to 30 after 3 rounds and it was shocking that he been allowed to get away with it by the referee Luis Pabon.

The fight reminded me of the 1976 match between Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. It was billed as a boxer vs. wrestler match, but it turned out to be something of a joke with Inoki lying on the canvas kicking at Ali’s legs for 14 long rounds. There wasn’t any wrestling due to the rules and Ali threw only 6 punches in the entire fight. The Klitschko-Povetkin fight reminded me a lot of that bout because there had been a great deal of hype about it, and it was thought that the two fighters would get into some good exchanges.

read more

Klitschko dominates Povetkin in dull fight

wlad6778IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KO’s) should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t disqualified tonight for the clinching and pushing he did en route to beating WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (26-1, 18 KO’s) by a boring 12 round unanimous decision at the Olimpiyskiy, in Moscow, Russia. Wladimir held more than he usually does for his fights, which is hard to believe and he was shoving Povetkin to the canvas and getting away with it until the 11th round when referee Luis Pabon took 1 point away from Wladimir.

Wladimir put Povetkin down 4 times during the fight and seemingly had him ready to be stopped in the 7th after he knocked him down 3 times in the round, but unfortunately spent the remainder of the jabbing and clinching rather than looking to finish off a tired Povetkin. Wladimir’s first knockdown of Povetkin came in the 2nd when he hit him with a left hook to the head that sent him stumbling backwards to the canvas.

read more

Klitschko vs. Povetkin vs. Apathy

wladimir2How many people who don’t frequent boxing websites are aware that the Heavyweight Championship of the World will be contested mid-day Saturday? The prize once regarded as the greatest in all of sport will be on the line when Wladimir Klitschko faces Alexander Povetkin in Moscow, Russia. Beyond the traditional significance attached to such an event, another element adds even greater intrigue to the story: history. As Klitschko adds days and numbers to his impressive time as champion he more securely solidifies his place among the sport’s greats.

But, again, who will notice?

If HBO’s Saturday fight schedule were a theatrical production, this heavyweight fight would be nothing but the supporting cast member—resting in the shadow of aging star, Miguel Cotto.

But is it really the case that no one cares; or is it simply that Americans don’t care? Wladimir and his brother Vitali have no problem selling out arenas in Europe. They are loved in their native home of Ukraine and their adopted home of Germany.

read more

Wladimir saying nice things about Povetkin

wlad443IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitachko (60-3, 51 KO’s) isn’t doing much to try and ruffle the feathers of his Russian opponent WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (26-0, 18 KO’s) ahead of their fight tomorrow night at the Olimpiyskiy, in Moscow, Russia.

Wladimir has been very complimentary of the 34-year-old Povetkin throughout the build-up to this fight to the point where it’s probably worked against both of them in generating interest in the fight.

read more

Klitschko vs. Povetkin & Cotto vs. Rodriguez headline Live HBO Boxing Saturday

wlad#4WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, HBO Sports’ flagship boxing series, presents a dynamite split-site tripleheader headlined by the return of two of the sport’s biggest stars on SATURDAY, OCT. 5. The action begins at 3:30 p.m. (live ET) with the heavyweight title fight WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO VS. ALEXANDER POVETKIN from SC Olimpiyskiy Arena in Moscow. Following a replay of the fight later that day at 9:45 p.m. (ET/PT), the doubleheader MIGUEL COTTO VS. DELVIN RODRIGUEZ AND TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. ANDREY KLIMOV will be presented from Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (live ET/tape-delayed PT). The HBO Sports team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino

Other HBO playdates: Oct. 6 (8:00 a.m.) and 7 (11:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Oct. 6 (4:00 p.m.) and 8 (11:30 p.m.).

read more

Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin sell out the Olympic arena in Moscow

YouTube video
Apparently their heavyweight championship fight on October 5 will do very well at the gate as all 14 000 seats have been sold out. Tickets ranging from 90 EUR/120 US$ to 6665 EUR/9000 US$ were no longer available at the end of last week. The fight set one financial record already when Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov bid $23,333,330 to stage the fight and outbid more than three times K2 Promotions and Sauerland Event.

Two Olympic champions in the ring should always mean a great match unless one of them is called Audley Harrison. In this case one of the champs is unbeaten while the other has three KO defeats on his record. Ironically the unbeaten Povetkin is the underdog in this fight. His last outing against a serious opponent – the cruiser weight champion Marco Huck (Muamer Hukić) – did not leave a good impression. He out boxed and out punched Huck easily but his shape was substandard and his conditioning betrayed him in the championship rounds. Only his amateur boxing skills and survival instincts helped him hear the final bell when he barely stood on his feet and fell into the arms of his corner right after the bell. After this spurious performance Povetkin boosted up his confidence with two early KO wins against softer opposition – a faded Hasim Rahman and a Polish heavyweight by the name of Andrzej Wawrzyk.

read more

Wladimir Klitschko Breaks His Sparring Partner’s Nose

wlad1For Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin, as well as many boxing fans, October 10, 2013 will be a date to remember.

For both fighters this match will be one of their most significant ones, as not only is the championship on the line, but this kind of promotion is simply put, colossal. While most champions always train hard for their fights, there are those moments when they take their training just a bit further.

Heavyweight fighter Sam Sexton (18-3-0) is proof of that. Sexton happened to be picked as a sparring partner for Wladimir Klitschko in preparation for his mega-bout against Povetkin.

read more

Klitschko vs Povetkin live on Boxnation

KlitschkoBanks001_PublicAddressThe Channel Of Champions, BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546), is delighted to announce that it will show the year’s biggest heavyweight fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin live and exclusive in the UK.

Klitschko, regarded as the world’s best heavyweight, puts his WBO/IBF/WBA Super/IBO World titles on the line in his hardest and riskiest fight to date against the undefeated challenger Povetkin, who holds the regular WBA world title, on Saturday 5th October at the Olimpyskiy Arena in Moscow.

Not only does it pit two world champions against each other, but two Olympic Champions with Klitschko winning gold for Ukraine in 1996 and Povetkin capturing gold for Russia in 2004.

Such was the demand to stage the fight, a Russian promoter bid an incredible $23.3m, the third largest ever winning purse bid, to ensure that the fight went on in the Russian capital.

read more

The Most Important Round in Wladimir Klitschko’s Career

Every great boxer comes to a crossroads in their career where a distinct moment can be pointed to where that fighter overcame a challenge that ultimately solidified their eternal mark in the sport. For some pugilists it’s the reaching of a benchmark like a record title defense number or besting a rival in the third fight of a trilogy or the dismantling of a great fighter. However, the more dramatic and most memorable moments of vindication can be viewed on how a fighter climbs through adversity and comes out better.

read more

“Colonel” Bob Sheridan Says The Klitschkos “Need David Tua”

tua432323As fans will possibly be aware, heavyweight powerhouse David Tua, arguably one of the best fighters never to have captured a major title, will be back in action later this month, when the 40-year-old will tangle with Russian giant Alexander Ustinov.

The fight, a big deal in New Zealand like all of Tua’s fights, will mark “The Tuaman’s” first ring appearance for two years (his rematch loss to Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett) and the Samoan slugger’s fans are hoping their hero can launch one last assault on the heavyweight championship of the world.

I’ve always been a fan of Tua, since he burst onto the scene with his chilling destruction of John Ruiz. And I do think that a prime Tua – say the wrecking machine that ruined Ruiz and went to war with the could-have-been-great Ike Ibeabuchi – would have given Wladimir Klitschko a fierce argument.

read more