The big fight has finally arrived with Anthony Joshua putting his IBF Word, WBA World, and WBO World heavyweight titles on the line against the very dangerous Alexander Povetkin. After he and his promoter Eddie Heard tried for months to get a fight with Deontay Wilder for the fourth and final major world heavyweight title, per Bad Left Hook, the American simply took too long and forced the WBA governing body to demand that Joshua fights Povetkin in a mandatory defense of his titles.
In an unfortunate twist of fate, Joshua now finds himself against a boxer who could be considered to be as dangerous or even more dangerous than Wilder in the ring. It’s going to be a huge occasion at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday, with the world watching to see if Joshua can continue to build his legacy.
Here are the top three reasons why watching this fight will not only be the best thing that you do this weekend but also ignite a love of boxing.
Joshua’s charisma and skill
Source: Anthony Joshua, via Twitter
Anthony Joshua is a simply stunning athlete who boasts tremendous boxing skill. Initially made to ease his way into the heavyweight division, he has jumped into a world title fight just 16 fights into his professional career. Since defeating Charles Martin in that title fight, Joshua has gone on to produce one of the greatest boxing matches of the modern era against Wladimir Klitschko to claim the WBA world title, and then a composed unanimous decision win over then-world champion Joseph Parker.
His power, speed, and tactical boxing have seen him move to a 21-0-0 record, while his charisma has helped to garner an almighty fan base. In this fight, he’s once again the favorite to leave the ring victorious. In Oddschecker’s preview, Joshua’s not expected to achieve a clean knockout of the Russian due to 75 percent of his stoppage wins coming by TKO, but a later stoppage is certainly on the cards.
Povetkin’s very, very dangerous
Source: Boxing Social, via Twitter
Alexander Povetkin has overcome many unfortunate hurdles to make it to another world title fight and yet, the only loss on his record is by unanimous decision to the dominant Wladimir Klitschko five years ago. On the undercard of Joshua’s last fight, Povetkin showed up to face David Price and emphatically knocked out the much-loved giant in round five, as detailed by The Independent.
Povetkin is a powerful boxer who doesn’t let his more modest height of 6’2’’ – to Anthony Joshua’s 6’6’’ – get in his way. He packs a mighty punch and knows exactly how to get on the inside to work the body and then catch whopping hooks to the temple. Where Klitschko was Joshua’s toughest challenge technically, Povetkin is certainly his most dangerous. We’ve seen before how venomous the Russian can be, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land a heavy hook that shakes the champ.
All about the boxing and the next step
Source: DAZN USA, via Twitter
One of the more admirable factors for this matchup of heavyweights is that it has come sans smack talk. Many boxers, like Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, simply can’t help but let their mouths run, making big threats but never really doing anything to follow up.
With Joshua vs. Povetkin, the Englishman understands the challenge ahead of him and respects his opponent; the Russian knows the opportunity ahead of him and that Joshua is the best boxer in the division right now. It’s clear to see a mutual respect but also that both boxers are going for the win any way that they can.
This what happens when two boxers who have earned their positions, boast genuine class and want to create a legacy in the sport come together for 12 rounds of world championship boxing. For anyone who dislikes the sideshows and has an appreciation of the sport, this should prove to be a great fight to watch.
