Maybe Povetkin, who at 36 is no spring chicken, can catch 39-year-old Klitschko at the right time, assuming no one else catches him first?
On Wednesday, November 4, at Basket-Hall Arena in Kazan, Russia, WBC Silver heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (29-1, 21 KOs), aka Russian Vityaz, from Chekhov, Russia, defends his title against Mariusz ?The Viking? Wach (31-1, 17 KOs), from North Bergen, New Jersey, by way of Krakow, Poland.
In a division populated by giants, Povetkin is a Lilliputian. At 6-foot-2 he?s taller than Jerry Quarry and Sonny Liston, but heavyweights have gotten bigger if not necessarily better over the years, and with fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and Mariusz Wach touching the sky, the conventionally-sized Povetkin is at a distinct disadvantage.
But Povetkin, despite the challenges he faces in height and reach, is one of the top 10 heavyweights and his loss to Dr. Steelhammer, if nothing else, puts him in good company. The men he has beaten aren?t the best of the best, at least historically. They just happen to be the best heavyweights fighting today.
The same cannot be said for Mariusz Wach. Although he also has one loss, to the aforementioned Klitschko in 2012, the men he has beaten are even less distinguished than Povetkin?s victims. In his last four fights he has beaten Konstantin Airich (21-10-2) and Gbenga Oluokun (19-10) in 2015, preceded by Travis Walker (39-12-1) and Samir Kurtagic (12-6) in 2014.
None of them are household names, except perhaps in their own households. But since The Viking is as tall as the 6-foot-7-inch Wilder, who is the current WBA World heavyweight champion, and since Povetkin is ranked #1by the WBA, the selection of Wach makes a world of sense, especially in a world lacking much sense.
When asked why he was fighting Mariusz Wach, Povetkin said, ?Currently he is available and he is good with the height. Some people have an idea that I don?t box too well with tall guys and I want to dispel that and show that I can box with tall guys as well. Right now we?re concentrating on Wach, but of course I want to fight Wilder. He?s very tough, a very strong opponent, and I want to take the WBC title for myself. And in the future, once I do that, there may be an opportunity to fight Wladimir Klitschko again. But I want to do now is concentrate on Wach, because all these are future plans.?
Povetkin won his last three fights, against Mike Perez, Carlos Takam, and Manuel Charr, but his 2013 loss to Klitscho looms large in any discussion of his virtues and deficits as a fighter. Thirty-nine-year-old Klitschko is a defeat waiting to happen and as the years progress, that wait grows ever shorter. Maybe Povetkin, who at 36 is no spring chicken, can catch Klitschko at the right time, assuming no one else catches him first.
?I have changed,? said Povetkin. ?There are a lot of things that have improved [in the last two years]. I became faster. I have much better conditioning right now. The most important thing is I have a very good understanding with my trainer. We work on the strategy. We understand each other. We speak the same language and I started working much, much harder and became much better. So from two years ago to now, I have changed in many different aspects.?
The fight between Povetkin and Wilder is a fight everyone is looking forward to.
The same cannot be said about the fight between Povetkin and Wach.
