Actually might be a fun fight to watch but not sure I really agree with it happening at all. As someone else pointed out, it'll just delay Wilder-Pov even longer. Plus, i don't know why Stiverne got a shot at the belt in the first place never mind being in another interim fight
Here he is motivated and trim and still lost to Rene Perreault.Stiverne was completely outboxed,Povetkin will dominate Stiverne even more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiqy6A8Jfws
Good fight and good job by the WBC in a bizarre situation. There should be an interim title fight due to Wilders failure(partially his fault, partially not) to fight a mandatory or even a clear top 10 he after what will be at least 22 months as champ. And Povetkin probably didn't deserve a suspension due to lack of proof but doesn't deserve an immediate shot at full title either due to the proof they do have. And Sasha Stiverne is a good fight. 70/30 on its face, but interesting features could change it up. Like, with Povetkin in his late 30s and perhaps off steroids for first time, will his performance suffer? Will Stiverne be in shape? Stiverne does better against shorter hw's, and has great power, chin, and counterpunching ability, a good fit against Povetkin. Stiverne definitely a live underdog.
Non-enhanced PEDPovetkin is going to take a serious ass whupping from Stiverne and then Wilder - Stiverne II will generate a bigger draw.
Sick of Povetkin? :huh Are you also sick of Wilder and his joke title 'defenses'? Povetkin has been waiting forever while Wilder got 4 optional fights against complete bums. It is well past time for Wilder to fight a legit contender. Hopefully the WBC forces Wilder to fight his Mandatory and not allow another tune up fight.
Wilder will be ready in January. This fight won't come off until October or November. It certainly won't look like a good idea when Povetkin is training for Stiverne in November and at the same time Wilder is in the gym training for a comeback in January. It'll look like the WBC is just naming champs like the WBA does. :roll: The WBC should've just told Povetkin to wait until January and fight Wilder. It was Povetkin's fault the fight in May was postponed to begin with.
Wilder wanted to fight Povetkin in September LAST YEAR ... but Povetkin wanted a tuneup in November. Wilder wanted to fight Povetkin in January, but Povetkin said he couldn't be ready in time ... turns out he was on banned drugs. Since Povetkin last fought (a slow, boring 12-round dance with Wach) ... Wilder will have defended against Szpilka, had a fight cancelled with Povetkin a few days before the match, scheduled and defended against late sub Arreola, had two surgeries done on his arm and hand ... and HE'LL be in the gym preparing for a January fight by the time this Povetkin-Stiverne fight even gets made. WHEN ARE YOU going to realize you have an active, eager, exciting, fighting champ (Wilder) who is willing to fight anyone ... And you're badmouthing him while praising some nearly 40-year-old drug cheat who has to take a half a year off between fights so he can pass his drug tests (and even then he can't always do it). The WBC should've just told Povetkin to wait and fight Wilder in January. It's Povetkin's fault the fight in May got called off. Povetkin is becoming the WBC's Czar Glazkov. They're bending over backwards trying to appease him and his promoter, and now they're giving him an interim title fight ... And the WBC is going to end up with Wilder as their WBC champ and Stiverne (the guy Wilder destroyed) as their "interim" champ. The WBC screwed up. No other ratings body even rates Povetkin. He's a number-one contender ONLY IN THE EYES of the WBC. (Like Glazkov was with the IBF.) Don't be surprised when the drug cheat Povetkin shows up without his meds against Stiverne and looks like a tired old man. Yes, I'm sick of Povetkin. He's done nothing but delay and postpone this fight with Wilder, and now he's trying to grab another vacant belt. He's a f*cking joke at this point. I'm done with him.