Alexander Povetkin; Where Does He Go From Here?
 By Julian Kasdin (July 16, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
Earlier this month Alexander ‘Sasha’ Povetkin, 13-0 (10), would shut out Larry Donald over ten rounds, proving to even more doubters and believers alike that this man has the stamina, firepower and skill to win a fight over the long haul. While one question still remains, does he have a solid chin, a bigger question has to do with his future. Where does Sasha, a man who has arguably never lost a round and shut out a fighter that gave former WBA champion Nikolay Valuev a serious run for his money, go from here?
There has not been a fighter in recent memory that has risen this fast at heavyweight. You would have to go back to Leon Spinks winning the WBC and WBA belts against a very shot Ali in his eighth fight to find someone who has risen faster. But that was an old Ali and many a boxer would have beat him that night, so while we can give Spinks credit it is hard to really find someone who has won this impressively against such solid competition so early on in their career. This, however, creates a problem. On the one hand Povetkin has become the most talked about heavy on both sides of the Atlantic and is arguably the hottest prospect north of two-hundred pounds right now. On the other hand he has higher expectations of him than the rest of his peers and there is a desire for him to continue fighting such a stellar level of opposition.
So what does Sasha and his management do? Do they come to America, as Wilfried Sauerland has hinted at, and take on a lesser opponent to look impressive, or do they come to America and take on a tough opponent with the hopes of winning big? If Povetkin’s career is any indication of what path he will take then we can all look forward to the latter. That begs the question who do you fight? Povetkin is already in the WBC top ten and the IBF top fifteen. The most logical step is to fight someone ranked in either of those organizations, with that in mind we must take into account where the fight is to be fought.
Now where do you put the fight? My mind says Europe, bigger fan base, more money and, while I do not think it is that
important, it is Povetkin’s home. However my heart and Sauerland seem to be saying America. If the choice is the good ole’ USA then someone like Vladimir Virchis is right out. This leaves two very attractive opponents who have name recognition and provide a further step up for Povetkin. They are Calvin Brock and Sergei Lyakhovich. Either fighter would most assuredly get Povetkin a date on HBO or Showtime, and both are ranked fighters with experience as title challengers or as a world champion. Both men are skilled fighters packing a decent punch and chin, both have been in with the game’s best and are proven commodities. With that in mind they would provide excellent tests to see if Povetkin is truly an elite level boxer. The fact that they are known by the American fans means that if Alexander were to win, especially if he were to win impressively, he would instantly be the talk of boxing fans across America. With that in mind I submit my pick for Povetkin’s next opponent, Sergei Lyakhovich. The ‘White Wolf’ is a decent technician with heavy hands, good stamina and a solid chin. He is well known in the US and would provide for an easy sell to fans in Europe. It does not hurt that not too long ago he was the holder of the WBO title and won one of the better heavyweight fights of the last few years. If Sauerland, Hrunov and Povetkin want to crash into the American fight fans collective psyche Sergei is the perfect opponent for Sasha’s future.
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