By Ian S Palmer
WBA and WBO International Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin will be defending his titles against David Price at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales this Saturday, March 31st. The 12-round bout is on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker heavyweight unification bout and can be seen live in the USA on Showtime. Fans in the UK and Ireland can catch the action on Sky Sports Box office. Povetkin last fought in December when he beat Christian Hammer by a unanimous decision. Price also fought in December when he beat Kamil Sokolowski on points over six rounds. Povetkin is supposedly the mandatory WBA challenger to Joshua if they both win.
Povetkin’s scheduled bouts against Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne fell through over the past year or so due to irregularities in his drug tests. He’s now 38 years old and back in the ring for the third time since 2017. He’s a former world champion whose five-bout knockout streak come to an end last year when Andriy Rudenko took him the distance and he’s now gone the distance twice in a row following his bout with Hammer.
Povetkin will enter the ring with a fine record of 33-1 along with 23 Kos. He won the WBA Heavyweight Title by decision against Ruslan Chagaev in 2011 and his lone loss came against former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision in 2013. He’s definitely got a solid chin as he’s never been stopped and is rarely in trouble. Povetkin was an Olympic gold medalist in 2004 and turned pro a year later. He’s now got 219 rounds of activity under his belt.
The Russian isn’t big by today’s heavyweight standards as he stands 6-feet-2-inches tall with a 75-inch reach. His power is probably underrated as he’s quite a heavy puncher with a current knockout ratio of 68 per cent. However, his power has been lacking over his last two outings. Povetkin’s biggest wins have been against the likes of Chagaev, Johan Duhaupas, Mariusz Wach, Mike Perez, Carlos Takam, Manuel Charr, Hasim Rahman, Marco Huck, Nicolai Firtha, Eddie Chambers, Chris Byrd, Larry Donald and Friday Ahunanya.
The 34-year-old Price of Liverpool enters the contest with a record of 22-4 along with 18 Kos. He’s one of the bigger heavyweights around at 6-feet-8-inches in height and has a reach of 82 inches. Price won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, but hasn’t really become a top-10 contender on the heavyweight scene. He’s fought mostly European opposition and fights mainly over there. He’s boxed 85 rounds since turning pro in 2009 mainly due to his power and questionable chin.
Speaking of power, Price has plenty of it as his current knockout ratio is 69 per cent.He’s fought and beaten the likes of Sam Sexton, John McDermott, Matt Skelton, Audley Harrison and Yaroslav Zavorotnyi as well as a host of other relatively unknown heavyweights. When he did step up in class slightly against American veteran Tony Thompson he was stopped in the second round in February of 2013 and then halted in the fifth round of their rematch five months later. With both fights being held in his hometown.
Price was also stopped by Erkan Teper in the second round in 2015 and by Christian Hammer last February. There’s no doubt that Price'[s chin isn’t his strongest point since he’s been stopped in all four defeats. However his power is his equalizer and his size doesn’t usually hurt him either. He’ll need to be at his very best to have a chance against Povetkin and won’t last long if his chin doesn’t hold out. He does have a puncher’s chance at pulling off an upset though.
Prediction…
Povetkin’s not really that well known outside of Europe, but he’s been very consistent over the years.
His experience, power and chin make him a hard opponent to beat. Price comes into the fight with good power and a weak chin with decent boxing skills. He’s not in the same class as Povetkin though and that should become evident the longer the bout goes. Look for a Povetkin victory here.
