Povetkin vs. Ahunanya - More Important Than You Think
 By Julian Kasdin (April 22, 2006)  
Alexander Povetkin
Tonight most everyone tuning in to HBO will be most interested in seeing Byrd vs. Klitschko II. After all both Chris Byrd and Wladimir Klitschko are established elite heavyweights. They have better resumes than any other currently active heavies, and both have the skill to really beat anyone in the division. That being said their fight is not the most important taking place tonight. No the most important fight tonight is Alexander Povetkin, 6-0 (5), versus Friday ‘The Thirteenth’ Ahunanya, 20-4-1 (11).

Now I know by know you must be thinking that I have gone crazy, that maybe I, and not the fighters, has gone punchy. I assure you that I have not gone insane, that I am very much still inhabiting the plain of reality that is shared by hopefully all of DHB’s loyal readers. The reason why this fight is more important than the main event is because it is about the future of the heavyweight division. When I say the future I do not mean a year down the road, though if Povetkin continues to win big he might be making noise in a year, no this is the long term future of heavyweight boxing. Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist at super heavyweight, and all around amateur star is six years younger than Wladimir, and nine younger than Byrd. He is also five years younger than current American savior Calvin Brock and current top rated Russian Sultan Ibragimov.

Now most Americans do not know much about Povetkin. So I think it is right to provide a quick run down of this young man’s amateur credentials. Alexander Povetkin is probably the closest thing to a living amateur legend, with only Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon having credentials that surpass his. In seven years as an amateur Povetkin won sixteen major amateur tournaments, twice as many as Lennox Lewis did in nine years as an amateur and more than both Klitschko brothers combined. He would have had the opportunity to compete in the 2000 Olympics at heavyweight, but had an injury in his hand that forced him out of the competition. He was replaced by Sultan Ibragimov, five years his senior, who was robbed against Savon in the gold medal match. So there was the very real possibility that Povetkin could have captured the gold in 2000 had it not been for his injury. Povetkin also won two major kickboxing tournaments, giving him a grand total of eighteen major tournament wins before turning professional in boxing. Povetkin’s final record as an amateur was 125-20, with most of those losses coming at the very beginning of his career, and only one loss in the last four years as an amateur.

As a professional Alexander has moved quickly, he has fought six times in less than a year, and has made a point of stepping up his level of competition quickly. In his last fight Povetkin knocked out Richard Bango in two rounds. Bango, who came into the fight with a 17-1 (13) record, had only lost to Nikolay Valuev by sixth round stoppage. The fight was Valuev’s 37th. Against Bango, Povetkin showed a combination of speed power and skill. He also showed the willingness to fire back when being hit, several times taking a punch to land one. He also showed an ability to counter effectively when he dropped Bango in the second with a counter hook. Povetkin had also stopped perennial spoiler Willie Chapman, dropping him in the fifth en route to a stoppage in between rounds five and six. Against Ahunanya, Povetkin is taking a huge step up in competition. Ahunanya is a tough skilled guy; he has lost to current WBO title holder Sergei Liakhovich, Lance Whittaker, Taurus Sykes and Sultan Ibragimov. His only stoppage loss was to Whittaker, who was recently demolished by Ibragimov in seven. Ahunanya also recently had a lackluster draw with Dominick Guinn, who recently defeated Audley Harrison.

Now yes one can look at Ahunanya’s recent history and say that Povetkin is simply taking an opponent who is dropping off. That being said, aside from Sykes, Ahunanya has lost to only contenders and a title holder. As a fan of the sport I have to say that Povetkin’s willingness to step up his level of competition so quickly is very endearing. As we have seen over the years there are many fighters that like to build a large padded record, against equally soft competition, in the hopes of getting a title shot by having a zero at the end of their record. Win or lose tomorrow Povetkin’s choice of opponent is commendable.

I do not rule out that Ahunanya can win, but I am leaning towards a sixth round stoppage win for Povetkin. I think his speed, high guard, incredible physical strength; combination punching, skill and power will just be too much for Ahunanya. From the looks of it HBO will be showing Povetkin’s fight so look for it to play out like this. Povetkin is a fast starter, a busy and effective aggressor. He will probably start the fight by establishing his jab and straight early in the first part of the first round. As the round progresses look for Povetkin to gradually step up his punch output as he throws more and more combinations to both the head and body. It is here that his speed and power will really come into play, as he should be able to land multiple combinations and hard counter shots. The fight will continue to play out much like Povetkin’s fight against Chapman, as over time Alexander’s abilities will prove to be just that much better than Ahunanya’s. Look for Povetkin to also muscle Ahunanya into the ropes and into the corners, where he will fire off powerful combinations against the game Nigerian. By the time we roll around to the sixth round Ahunanya should have taken a good deal of punishment, and either Povetkin will drop him for a knockout, or the referee will step in and end the fight via technical stoppage. Povetkin knows that not only will the eyes of Europe be on him, but so will the eyes of American boxing fans. I think that will only give him greater motivation to perform to the best of his abilities, that combined with his natural competitive drive and ambition will just make him too much of a force for Ahunanya to handle. Povetkin loves competition, he did his best against other elite fighters in the amateurs, and he has made no bones about progressing as quickly as possible as a professional, hopefully his performance tonight gives us all something to look forward to.
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