Wladimir Klitschko v Alexander Povetkin

Heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51) once again showed why he is the boss of the division as he soundly defeated Russian challenger Alexander Povetkin (26-1, 18). Taking the Russian's unbeaten record in the process.

The fight started well for Povetkin who appeared to be showing the confidence of an unbeaten man looking to land big shots from the off on the jaw of the supposedly vulnerable Klitschko. The tactic seemed to work well with a claim that Povetkin could have taken the round on aggression even if it wasn't the most effective.

Unfortunately for Povetkin the good work of the opening round was undone quickly in the second as he was dropped for the first time in the fight. The knockdown, which seemed to be a delayed reaction to a sharp left hook from Klitschko was a flash one but still showed Klitschko's ability to hurt Povetkin.

Following the second round Klitschko began to really grow in to the fight and controlled the fight at range whilst holding, and leaning on Povetkin time and time again in the following round. Klitschko had, like he has through out his career, shut down Povetkin after just a few rounds. Povetkin still looked confident but was slowly being beaten mentally and physically. He was being out boxed and worn out by Klitschko's tactics.

By round 6 it appeared as if we were heading to a very simple and very boring looking unanimous decision. The holding had become the main part of the fight and Povetkin had been totally neutralised in a way that was far from friendly for the fans. Thankfully round 7 saw a serious change in Klitschko's mindset with the Ukrainian sending the Russian to the canvas 3 times. Unfortunately, perhaps, the knockdowns weren't the cleanest though referee Luis Pabon seemed happy to give Klitschko the benefit of the doubt on all 3 in what was therefore a 10-6 round.

After knockdowns in round 7 it appeared almost certain that Klitschko was going to to stop Povetkin, instead however he took his foot off the gas in rounds 8 and 9, rounds that again saw Povetkin have some success between the holding and stop-start action.

Thankfully Klitschko did move up a gear at the start of round 10 banging off some lovely free flowing jabs to keep Povetkin on the outside. This was stepped up again in round 11 as Povetkin was rocked hard and seemed set to go. Unfortunately rather than actually scoring a knockdown with punches Klitschko again pushed Povetkin down and was this time deducted a point in what was an somewhat meaningless deduction.

With a DQ perhaps in Klitschko's mind he did little of note in round 12, a round that Povetkin may have claimed with nicer judges due to Klitschko's total lack of aggression. Despite the negativity of Klitschko through the round none of the judges saw it fit to give it to Povetkin however as the final scores all read 119-104. Effectively the only point Klischko failed to take was the one he was deducted.

Alexander Povetkin v Andrzej Wawrzyk

WBA "regular" Heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (26-0, 18) successfully retained his title thanks to an easy looking stoppage of Polish challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk (27-1, 13) who suffered his first professional loss.

The opening round was a very typical feeling out round with both guys utilising their jab well but landing little else of note as they tried to figure each other out. It was the much busier jab of Povetkin that seemed to steal the round with the Russian throwing, and landing, several times more than the challenger.

Povetkin put his foot on the gas in round two as he started to unload on  Wawrzyk who was dropped midway through the round from a right hand.  Wawrzyk got to his feet quickly after the knockdown but Povetkin then went on a seek and destroy mission hurting the Pole several more times before the round was over with Wawrzyk bloodied and visibly outclassed.

Wawrzyk managed to come out for round 3 and whilst he managed to land a number of weak looking jabs it started to look like Povetkin could finish him off any time with the Polish fighter wobbling after every right hand that landed. Rather surprisingly Povetkin would drop Wawrzyk with a left in round 3 before dropping him again and forcing the referee to wave the bout off.

Next for Povetkin is a bout with Wladimir Klitschko, a bout that sees both men receiving a major pay day, we expect that that will be a much more competitive bout than this one.

Alexander Povetkin v Hasim Rahman

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.