Will HBO Embrace Povetkin?

Yeah of course they will, hes already Merchant's favorite Prospect

and they have talked somewhat about him

 

It was right before the Calzaghe-Manfredo match started. Larry said that Povetkin is the best prospect out there. I hope they could put Povetkin vs Brock/Chambers on HBO BAD. I'm guessing they won't though, so he won't be on there until he meets Wlad. And after he knocks the "unbeatable" Wlad out, he will get attention quick and will get HBO's backing. I can't wait.

 

btw, Harold Ledermann is a big, big fan of Ruslan Chagaev...

 

The SHW myth is such a ****ing joke, his brand of gay brotherly love will die soon when the "physique is everything" boys go back to bodybuilding and SanFranciscoism.

 

I think Calvin Brock would beat Povetkin.. He is still a little green isnt he, besides having a great amature career.

 

HBO are not stupid. If he beat Klitschko in his 15th pro-fight, as well considering his amateur pedigree, he will automatically become the best HW and therefore HBO HW posterboy.

 

why do they need 1 heavyweight poster boy rather than promoting the entire division and sticking to whoever is champ

 

Because they have an audience that wants a dominant figure. HBO wants the next Tyson, because that will make them a lot of money.

 

if povetkin ever develops enough to be able to beat wlad, wlad will be long retired. if they fought now or in the next year or 2 wlad would ko him

 

Yeah they will, because he his marketable and because he would be all that they would have.

The real question is...can he be THE MAN?

In Russia, for sure. In Europe, probably. But in the US?

I mean, the type of guy that defines their era? That everyone of their time period knows and one of the few that transcends the sport? Can the average person who doesn't even follow boxing, pick your profile out of a police lineup?

Dempsey was THE MAN
Louis was THE MAN
Marciano was THE MAN
Ali was THE MAN
Tyson was THE MAN

I don't know if a non US guy could ever become the man in the US. I don't care what he looks like. He might get labeled as being "that Russian dude"
by the public, and nothing more. Boxing has hugely declined in popularity. Once, the heavyweight champion was the most well known sports figure in the whole world. Bigger than the president. Bigger than any sports team.
Not now...
I don't know if anyone can be that kind of man again in boxing, because boxing itself, isn't boxing, sadly.

But, times are always changing and the right guy could make the difference.

For Povetkin to be that guy, these things would need to happen.

1. He'd have to be legit. Everything he has shown has been legit. Olympic Gold, 13 fights without losing a round against competition that many fighters avoid until much later in their careers. Pitching a shut out against Larry Donald is impressive. Doing the same to Byrd would be even more impressive.
Beating Brock, if Brock wins, would be a good step. If he goes on to beat Wlad after that, and takes a belt against the most recognized guy in the division, in something like 17 fights, he will be as legit as you can be in this day and age. It will get him mostly there, but to go all the way he'd have to...

2. He would have to unify. All the guys that were the man have been undisputed. I think that because Holmes never unified and because it took Lennox a long time, it hindered them being the man, especially when you factored in their personalities, which also prevented them from being the man, somewhat. But mainly it was the politics. This will make him one to remember, but in order to go where the big dollars are he'd have to...

3. It will help if his tongue comes through customs. If you stay with your native language, you will still, of course, be a hero to your homeland. But to get across the board popularity, you got to know English. Oscar De La Hoya knows this. But even this is not enough, because....in the end to be the man you got to....

4. Give the people a reason. When you tuned in to see Tyson, most did so because you knew he was going to KTFO out the guy on the other side of the ring. He had that aura. And let's be real, boxing is a sport but to be the man it helps if you have that KO power. Louis and Dempsey had that. Ali didn't. But Ali was a media mastermind and one in a million personality. I don't know if its because he fights these tricky guys who are hard to KO (Donald, Ahunanya) but he does not strike me as being someone who is gonna have that kind of aura. I am guessing he doesn't have the personality of Ali (who the hell does), he is not the blue collar hero that Marciano was, either. Not to US fans anyway. Kursk could be Russia's Brockton, but people aren't gonna know that. They will know Russia. George Foreman had both the personality (second George) and the knockout power that gets peoples attention.

He can give the people a reason if he continues to do what he is doing and is able to keep doing it. People have grown tired of belts, of champions who change every year, people are so hungry for the guy that will stand and fight, if someone does, he will cross over. That is Povetkin's main way of rising above, the amateur master who turns pro master.