Russian Heavyweight Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17) successfully defended his WBA Heavyweight title as he swiftly disposed of veteran American challenger Hasim Rahman (50-8-2-1, 41) in what can only be described as a waste of time.
The opening round was somewhat quiet however it was highlighted by the fact Povetkin did manage to wobble Rahman with the only meaningful shot of the entire round. The shot seemed to make Rahman wary of Povetkin's power however the Russian failed to connect with another one until the second round.
Having realised he could hurt the challenger, Povetkin started the second round quickly and detonated another right hand that staggered Rahman into the ropes. Povetkin swiftly swarmed on the Rahman and threw a number of hurtful shots, including 3 massive right hands that detonated one after the other on Rahman. From then on it was only a matter of time before Gustavo Padilla was forced to step in (however he really did take his time).
Although this was a mandatory title defense it was a mismatch from the day it was announced and it showed in the ring as Rahman failed to land a notable punch in the 286 seconds it took Povetkin to stop him. Hopefully this loss will force Rahman into retirement rather than on the verge of being recycled for another title fight.
Whilst it was another win for Povetkin it really did little to answer the questions surrounding his stamina, durability or world level credentials. He did the job but it was against a very poor opponent, and hopefully he'll be out in a more meaningful bout either later this year or very early next year as he puts the memory of this farce behind him.
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