Povetkin is past it. I don't think he'll offer much past the first 3 rounds.

Povetkin arguably got lucky against Price. David Price is probably the worst HW in the world that the general public actually know about. The fact Price had some joy just shows how washed up Povetkin is now that he's probably off the gear, at least off the good stuff that made him a monster post-Wlad-pre-pop. If Joshua loses to Povetkin it'll be Audley Harrison levels of embarrassment. Joshua should have him out of there in 4.

 

We shouldn't count out the skill-full old pugilist but Povetkins last two performances suggest the man is on the decline. He'll get up for this one like Ortiz did against Wilder, but like Ortiz, Povetkin will succumb to the old stallion. I'm not saying Alex would look as great as Ortiz did against Wilder. I'm actually tipping Joshua to control this one like he did with Parker and most likely get a KO win.

 

I'd think Povetkin vs. Park would be the most exciting fight than Povetkin vs. AJ. I think AJ will stop him in the later rounds. 8-10 I assume.

 

There won't be a Lewis moment. Joshua is very methodical and I don't think he takes any opponent lightly.

Joshua will beat Povetkin via KO inside 6.

 

That's a total assumption the facts at the time don't support that assumption.

Fact is before Joshua fighting Wlad he was not Joshua's mandatory because Joshua didn't have the WBA belt and even before then the fights with Breazeale and Molina were down to Haymon who had options on Joshua as part of the Martin deal. So there was never a chance to fight Ortiz as a voluntary even if he wanted before Wlad.

Joshua/Wlad happened on 29th May 2017. But Ortiz signed with Haymon in March 2017, so even before Ortiz was Joshua's mandatory he had signed with Haymon and was looking to fight Wilder instead of fight Joshua.

May 2017 Ortiz threatens law suit to enforce his mandatory against Joshua.

July 2017 Ortiz starts negotiating to fight Wilder.

Aug 2017 both the IBF and WBA order mandatory defences against Pulev and Ortiz.

Sept Wilder/Ortiz and Joshua/Pulev announced.

Does Ortiz stop negotiating with Wilder when his mandatory is being called or does he take legal action when Pulev is announced as Joshua's next opponent as he had threatened? Nope he does neither. Why because Wilder was an easier path to the title.

Had he really wanted the Joshua fight he would of done 3 things.

1 - Signed a deal with Hearn and not Haymon

2 - Not begun negotiating with Wilder before his mandatory was enforced

3 - Taken the legal action he had threatened earlier that year.

 

They were both announced in the same month a matter or days apart. Fact is Ortiz was negotiating for the Wilder fight at a time when he was not the mandated mandatory and when he was mandated did nothing to push that mandatory, didn't even take Joshua to court like he had threatened earlier that year.

Also don't mistake being number 1 as the same as being mandatory. Only need to look at the Whyte and WBC debacle to prove that.

Ortiz beat Jennings for the WBA interim belt which got him his top ranking with the WBA. But he was not mandatory, if he was the WBA would not have ordered a final eliminator with Ustinov in Jan 2016 a month after beating Jennings. They were set to fight for that mandatory position in May 2016 but Ortiz pulled out at the last minute. It then went to purse bids which Rabinsky and Ustinov won in Aug 2016. But Ortiz again pulled out and then paid $1 mill to get out of his contract with Goldenboy.

So the assumption that Ortiz was the WBA mandatory for a long time is false, he was number 1 but not mandatory as clearly stated by the WBA's need for a eliminator. Ortiz was never the true mandatory until Aug 2017 when the WBA mandated it because between pulling out of that WBA eliminator he did nothing but fight Scott, Allen and never fought an eliminator to confirm his mandatory status as the WBA wanted with the Ustinov eliminator.

When Joshua won the belt it was end of May. From the time he won that belt til Wilder/Ortiz it was announced it was just over 3 months. There was no time to fit in Ortiz in a voluntary especially as Joshua took a break after the Wlad fight.

By Aug 2017 when the mandatories were announced Hearn already knew as did everyone else Wilder and Ortiz were negotiating a fight and so Pulev was picked not because he was ducking Ortiz or was seen as an easier fight he was the only opponent looking to actually fight Joshua at the time. Didn't help that Ortiz signing with Haymon either, had Ortiz truly wanted the Joshua fight he would of signed with Hearn as he clearly isn't against signing with the manager of the fighter he is about to face.

You can keep making assumptions or you can look at the facts and the facts are pretty clear, Ortiz did nothing to make the Joshua fight happen, nothing!

 

I'd elevate my confidence in Povetkin if he doesn't get knocked or severely buzzed in the first three rounds. If Joshua knocks him out, it'll be way early or a mercy stoppage in the 11th/12th, I really don't see anything in between. Count me among those who feel Joshua has a weak gas tank and that Povetkin will do his best work in the middle/later rounds. Then again as I type this I think to the Parker fight where Parker controlled the first half rounds and didn't have the energy to throw enough or evade as well to keep Joshua from connecting and controlling the back half.

 

So being chinny means you have no power? WTF is this comment... It's like saying Lemieux is featherfisted because he didn't KO Golovkin

 

I have a funny feeling based on nothing at all, that after this fight there will be two things said:

1) Hey, AJ won!
2) OMG, AJ got exposed! I knew that he was no good!

These two statements are not incompatible. Bookmark this comment

 

I dont think this is guna be a particulary fast paced fight, Joshua is going to be doing all the pressing working behind the jab and using the reach advantage, he will be studying Wlads win over the Russian plenty of times. All Povetkin can do is look to counter and hope he catches AJ with one of them. So unless Joshua hurts him early i doubt he will be gassing in the early rounds.