Still Povetkin. Page was good but he had some issues with bringing his best form to the table. He also had some quit in him, as evidenced by the amount of times he spat out his mouthpiece when he was getting tuned up by Damiani. Like he was looking for a way out. I feel that the extra 10lb that Page brings to the table are more than outweighed by Povetkin's all-round skillset and his carborundum grit.
Agreed. The other big thing I like here in this matchup is the sneaky left uppercut and nice left hook from Alex. Page always holds those hands low and I think that uppercut becomes the biggest punch in the bout > about 6 rounds==when that fatigue sets in. Fun and interesting bout to watch.
50/50 fight, for mine. Page may well have received undue praise too soon, becoming the poster-boy for inconsistency but, at his best, he was a top-level competitor. I think Povetkin, whilst consistent, gets considerably overrated as well. If consistency mattered in a one-off, best-for-best matchup, then it would be Povetkin all day. But consistency over time isn't important here and I would say that these two are fairly evenly matched. It's not a fight I'd bet on.
I don't see this as a particularly hard night for Povetkin. All sorts of guys tuned up Page. Povetkin almost always showed up, displayed top level skill and grit. He's one of the bigger wastes of talent in the past 20 years.
