Mercer did way better against Lewis and Holyfield than Povetkin did against Wlad and Joshua. My point is, once Povetkin stepped up to the elite, he failed. His wins over Rahman and Byrd, it is obvious both of these were shot. He has a solid resume though but he is not better or greater than Norton IMO. Norton is often rated as a Top 20 ATG Heavyweight whether you like it or not. He has wins over Ali, Young and Quarry. And he has a great fight over prime Holmes. Many also thought he defeated Ali in their 3rd fight. Ali and Holmes are rated by most as Top 5 ATG.
Larry Holmes is a better boxer than Povetkin and outboxes him for a clear decision. Norton vs Povetkin is a closer match. Norton gave 70's Ali three hard nights, but that was 30+ years old Ali slowing and by late '76 and Ali-Norton III, Ali was a shadow of himself. Ken beat a used-up Jerry Quarry himself. I would probably pick Ken on his best form to outpoint Alexander after a scare or two. Against Gerry Cooney, Ken was past prime, but Gerry was impressive that night in demolishing Norton quickly.
Holmes isn't really threatened by anything in Alex's arsenal, and likewise Alex has a solid enough chin to not get brutalized by Holmes. I would, however, be worried about swelling as Alex did tend to redden up pretty bad and sometimes early as seen in the 2nd Whyte fight. That snappy jab of Holmes could end up shutting an eye or causing severe discomfort whilst simultaneously swaying the judges based on visual damage. What Alex does bring to the table are good fundamentals and smart educated pressure. He rarely throws wild shots and keeps things short and compact, only opening up when he'd in range and/or sees openings. Holmes uppercut could stun Alex, but Alex was a good enough boxer to not get nailed by it over and over and could make adjustments rather than simply pressing forward the same way. I think as long as Holmes remains calm and doesn't get overly anxious, uses lateral movement, responsible defense, and makes Alex work for it resetting whenever he gets close, he could pull off a somewhat comfortable decision. The middle rounds would be the most exciting as both guys will have found their rhythm and spent enough time studying each other's habits. Alex would need to really go all out to get the points lead here while also doing his best to really hurt Holmes and slow him down. Otherwise, Alex's own lack of endurance would cost him in the late rounds as Holmes speed and range would allow for him to coast through the last few. I'd say prime Holmes wins 7/10, 2/10 by stoppage. Old Holmes in the 90's would probably be closer to 50/50.
After non prime Ali non prime Quarry and a not so hard to beat Young his next best win id Ron Stander....Ron wouldn’t register as Povetkins eight best win.
Prime for prime which is the criteria I always go with in mythical match ups. Holmes batter's him. Holmes KO in 9 or 10 at the most
Povetkin had a lot more going for him than any other of the other 'contenders and titlists', who operated primarily during the Klitschko era. This was essentially because he came to win, even if his approach, whilst fundamentally sound, didn't carry much in the way of creativity. Povetkin packed some firepower too - so, despite a lack of imagination, he had enough to stand out from a mediocre crowd and I think he could have been in the mix of things, for at least some period of time, during most eras. His power would factor heavily in his success, albeit that I think there are a fair number of heavyweight contenders over the years, who would have beaten him. Prime Holmes would have little trouble and would waste no time in figuring out Povetkin; making him work; timing his attacks and delivering a fairly one-sided drubbing. That said, Povetkin was a competitor and even a Roid-Free Povetkin would have his moments - just not enough of them to earn a win. His power would not save him against Holmes, either. Holmes would most likley win by wide decision, but there's a good chance of Holmes forcing a late stoppage, as well.