Lol Wilder is soiling his tuscaloosan granny panties at the thought. Povetkin would be a real difficult fight for him.
close fight, wilder will have a big speed advantage and a big reach advantage. povetkin hasn't shown he can get inside a much taller man of great athleticism.
Wilder can win if he bulks up to 250 pounds and uses his size and weight to illegally win by cheating holding tactics. But that won't happen , so Povetkin will likely knock him out early to mid rounds. Povetkin deserves a shot at that belt. If he wins , he will fight anybody in a good action fight.
I've no problems with this. I'd rather it were Perez vs. Wilder first, with Povetkin vs. Perez (the better match-up) then holding more significance and having the due weight it deserves. Wilder vs. Povetkin will just be a formality of Deontay handing Sasha his belt. Perez will at least put up a fight; that match-up is worthy of being for the green belt.
Pointless fight, Perez is 0-1-1 in his last 2 and should be 0-2 while Povetkin KO'd the guy that arguably beat Perez in a draw. Povetkin should get the immediate shot, did beating a barely proven Mago give him such a high rank Its crazy how he and Takam have the same record in the last 2 fights and Takam fell way down the ranks and Perez stayed way up