Aleksandr Povetkin in the 30s

I agree with you in the main. For my money I think Povetkin would be marginally lighter in the 30s, mostly due to the greater demands for stamina back in the day. But he's a naturally stocky guy as well as being over six foot, so I don't really see him dropping anywhere below 210. Trouble is, once you start playing that game it only ends once the facts have been manipulated enough for your side to come out on top. It renders any fair and meaningful discussion obsolete.

 

It doesn't really matter what Povetkin weighs.
His toughest win was possible the match with Marco Huck, a 209 fighter who has weighed in at 191 to 200 in ALL his other fights.
If he didn't steamroll Huck based on weight advantage (and Huck's been stopped twice at cruiser), I wouldn't put much faith in him doing much against lighter men in the 1930s.

 

Without Meldonium he's dead meat!

 

Povetkin needs a better haircut if he wants to go back to the 1930s.
I mean, seriously, even in Russia. Especially in Russia. That haircut is the enemy of the revolution in his home country, despite the Red tinge.
In America he'd be a cartoon character at best.

 

What's a Povetkin and what has he ever done to make anyone think he is anything of any note?

Everyone looks good in training.

Povetkins name will be lost in time in 5 years.... They will still be talking about Louis 50 years from now.

 

Povetkin is building a quality career resume. I want to see how he fares against Stiverne. In what I expect to be a good fight.
He is an Olympic Gold Medalist. He has never been stopped as an amateur or pro and he has only 1 loss to an ATG.
I think he would beat Braddock and Carnera.
The other 3 guys are all slight favorites to me against him but I'm open to differing opinions

 

Are you going to wax nostalgic about Luis Firpo, Fred Fulton, Tony Galento and Johnny Paychek?

Please, grandpa, tell me more.

 

Old Roy was on Meldonium.

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To be fair to Povetkin, I would say that he is the best heavyweigth of our generation who never held the lineal title.

It is not hard to imagine him being lineal champion in an era where there was no dominant champion.

It would depend upon the breaks he got however.

If his title shot came up against the Max Schmeling of the Young Stribling fight, then he would just be another contender.

If he drew the Jack Sharkey of the Primo Carnera figth, then it might be game on.

 

*Schmeling became champion by getting punching in the balls by Sharkey.
*Sharkey became champion on a disputed decision in the rematch.
*Carnera's KO against Sharkey was/is viewed by many as a fake job.

* Braddock became champion because Baer seemed to make no effort to fight.

Max Baer, for all his flaws, had the most convincing title-winning performance when he battered Carnera severely.

Generally, the performance standard to become "lineal" champion (a line that started with the Sharkey blow to Schmeling's groin !) is kind of low in this period.

 

This is a fair point here.

I think that you would be on fairly safe ground saying that Schmeling and Sharkey were the two best heavyweights in the world, when they faced off twice for the title.

Carnera was never literally the best heavyweight in the world, but I am certain that his win over Sharkey was legitimate.

Baer as you say, left little doubt after he stopped Schmeling and Carnera within months of each other.

The biggest issue for me here, is Schmeling's questionable loss to Sharkey.

Reverse this decision, and the timeline might look very different.

 

Pov has proved he'd make a sterling amateur in the 30s, winning a medal at the Big Os for sure, but he never translated to pro at world level, and no its too late for him to do so.

I'd expect the same outcome in the 30s. He might land a world title shot at some point in a "bum of the month" club. It would end badly for him, and very quickly.

At his best, a European title.

 

Judging from how Povetkin failed miserably to combat big Wlad's octupus tactics, I can't see him doing well against Carnera either.
Carnera may well have been a muscle-bound circus freak built up on set-ups and fixed fights but he was big enough, brave enough, strong enough to manhandle and prod his way to a win over Povetkin.

 

To be fair Firpo and Fulton belong to the 20's

 

I would question the idea that the weaker lineal champions of the era necessarily represent the easiest route to the title.

Carnera's strong suit was consistency, so if you couldn't beat him on his best night, you probably couldn't beat him full stop.

You might have more chance of getting past Sharkey or Baer on an off night.