Alexander Povetkin has announced his retirement from boxing at 41 today, mentioning numerous still existing injuries factoring into his decision.
Povetkin (36-3-1, 25 KOs) didn’t elaborate on what type of injuries he’s still dealing with, but it sounds like he’ll need time to heal up eventually.
Alexander had some tough fights in the last two years of his career against Dillian Whyte, Anthony Joshua, and Michael Hunter.
“The years take their toll,” Povetkin said on his Instagram account.”I have all kinds of injuries that still need to be treated. The time has come for me to end my career.”
It’s interesting how Povetkin’s career changed rapidly in just a year. He went from the high of knocking out Dillian Whyte to the low of getting stopped of him in their rematch.
Had Povetkin won that rematch, he’d be knocking on the door for a lucrative title shot against WBC champion Tyson Fury or a rematch with Joshua.
The former WBA heavyweight champion Povetkin and 2004 Olympic gold medalist found much success in his 16-year professional career. He held the WBA title from 2011 to 2013, losing it to Wladimir Klitschko.
In September 2018, Povetkin challenged IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua for his titles and hurt him during the fight. However, Joshua came back to drop Povetkin twice in the
Although Povetkin was stopped in the fourth round in his last fight against Dillian Whyte in their rematch last March, he has a lot to be proud of.
In their match last year in August 2020, Povetkin pulled off a stunning comeback in knocking Whyte out in the fifth round with a booming left uppercut to the head. In the fourth round, Povetkin had dropped twice by Whyte from well-placed left hooks.
Going into the fifth, it looked for all intents and purposes like Whyte would finish the job, but it wasn’t to be. Povetkin pulled tagged Whyte with a peach of a left uppercut that knocked him out cold.
Unfortunately, Povetkin was ill late last year from a bout with COVID 19 that delayed his rematch with Whyte. When Povetkin returned from the illness last March for his second fight with Whyte, he looked like a shell of his former self physically.
You could tell from looking at Povetkin that he wasn’t as well-trained and ready as he had been for their first fight in 2020.
Unfortunately, the question will always be there on whether Povetkin would have done a better job in the rematch if he had taken his time in coming back from his illness.