Fans of the Heavyweight division will be pleased to know Deontay Wilder and Alexander Povetkin will likely be getting it on in early 2016. And now the more so since the WBC’s President has said Wilder must defend their world title belt against the Russian ex-champion next.
“Wilder just fought a voluntary defense and is in line to make the mandatory defense,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told ESPN. “The mandatory is Povetkin.”
Hey, this is boxing. Wilder and his team can do whatever they want. But this fight has a great chance of materializing for a number of reasons. Mainly because Povetkin is a natural progression for Wilder, and also because Wilder’s reputation would take a significant blow if he were to be stripped of his title. Generally speaking, title stripping decreases fan bases.
Most importantly, since this will come as Wilder’s toughest test to date (a little more so than Bermane Stiverne), this will set up huge fights for Wilder. Not that a Wilder win is a given, by any means. Since Povetkin suffered his only defeat to Wladimir Klitschko (UD 12) back in 2013, he has looked sharp and devastating since. Manuel Charr, Carlos Takam and Mike Perez never saw the final bell.
As long as Povetkin can get past Mariusz Wach on November 4th, we could well be treated to a seriously stern test for Wilder a few months from now. In their last outings, Povetkin knocked out Mike Perez back in May, and Wilder of course took on Johann Duhaupas at the weekend, stopping him in the 11th round.
Povetkin stands at 6′ 2″, and holds a record of 21-1, 21 knockouts, while Wilder stands at 6′ 7″, carrying a record of 35-0, 34 knockouts. OK, so Povetkin is getting on a bit at 36-years-old, but to be fair, he isn’t showing any signs of decline. If anything, he’s looking better post-Klitschko defeat.
So let’s be optimistic – this fight will get made. Who are you picking? Deontay Wilder or Alexander Povetkin?
Mark Phillips is the Head Staff Writer/Assistant Editor at BoxingBase.com, and provides worldwide news, coverage and analysis – he can be reached via our Contact Page.
