Alexander Povetkin in the 1980's

Good for ya. I wanted Pov to win but I thought Whyte would be too big, young and hungry. Instead, the old lion fed.

 

At the tail end of his career........but had alot left in the tank ? How does that make any sense. Especially considering Chris fought Twice in the next TWO years getting knocked out in one of the fights.
You guys are confusing potential with actual achievements.

 

Byrd wasn’t totally shot for Povetkin. He’d recently been a credible defense for Wlad.

The issue is that nobody is talking about Chambers, who got his first L from Povetkin, and he was prime and slick.

 

Look at the fight. Byrd had a lot of kick left for an older fighter.

 

Everybody forgets Fast Eddie now. Agree, he was pretty good.

 

I'd give Povetkin a strong chance against most of the 80s heavyweight scene until Tyson arrives. He had excellent fundamentals, good footwork, solid power, and a reliable gas tank. He'd also be fighting guys closer to his own size rather than the super heavyweights he had to deal with in the modern era, which would work in his favor.

I think people underestimate how much trouble he'd give Holmes, especially an older Holmes. One of Povetkin's best weapons was the right hand over the jab, which is exactly the punch Holmes always struggled with and got hit with repeatedly throughout his reign. I'd still make Holmes the favorite, but I think it would be a genuinely competitive fight.

Witherspoon would probably be a coin flip, I could see that going either way. Against everyone else in that era, I'd give Povetkin the edge. Once Tyson shows up, though, I don't think Povetkin has much of a chance.

 

How do you think Thomas would do vs Povetkin ?

I haven't seen alot of Povetkin TBH but Thomas did have a nice consistent run.

He was undefeated for 7 years and he had a more convincing win over a good version of Witherspoon than Holmes did.

Plus Thomas had an iron chin I actually think he had one of better chins of any Heavyweight at his best.

 

Depends on which version of Thomas we're talking about. Assuming both are at their best, I think Thomas would give Povetkin trouble early with his jab, but Povetkin was great at countering the jab, so eventually he'd find his mark and take the middle rounds by closing the distance and fighting on the inside, which was never Thomas's strength. Thomas also tended to fade late, while Povetkin had excellent stamina, so I'd expect Povetkin to pull away in the later rounds. I don't think either man knocks the other out since both had great chins, but I see Povetkin's gas tank letting him edge it on the cards late, similar to how the Berbick fight played out.

 

Povetkin is a bit overrated. Huck wasn't technically better than Coetzee and he wasn’t any bigger either, Povetkin would catch a few Ls. He'd fit in the 80s scene pretty well but I'd have to make Witherspoon, Holmes, Tyson, and Spinks favorites

 

I think it's clear that there are two versions of Povetkin being discussed in this thread.

One being the pudgy, accumulation punching pressure fighter, and the other being the post-Wlad, pharmacological experiment.

 

Byrd was shot to absolute pieces when he fought Wlad , never mind Povetkin.

Byrd wasn't even that prime anymore when he failed to beat past prime , post accident Golota. Oquendo , Williamson and McCline were all razor close decisions that went his way because Don King was his promoter.

In the Wlad rematch he stood centre of the ring and blocked punches with his face. His legs were gone. Finished. Povetkin fought the distant memory , washed up husk of Chris Byrd and still didn't do as well as Ike Ibeauchi.

 

Povetkin was way more prime against Joshua than Byrd was against Povetkin.
How come Joshua didn't have to debase and humiliate himself to beat Povetin?

 

Beat some top fighters but lose to some would be a safe bet.

He would be floating around and live other than Holmes in the earlier part of decade and Tyson in the later part the decade who would probably be too much for him.