Povetkin Retires

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/57464594

Alexander Povetkin has retired, citing recovery from Corona Virus and his age as the main reasons.

I always felt that he was a half decent fighter with massively underrated technique and power plus a never say die attitude. I felt he rushed back for the second Dillian Whyte fight far too early as he did not look "right" and I am amazed that he was cleared to go ahead.

Out of his depth against Wlad and hopelessly outgunned against Joshua, he still compiled a pretty good record and it was no surprise that Wilder did his best to avoid him. The thing that amused me was that out of the ring he looked like a slightly bemused security guard yet had the ability to turn a fight on its head with a decent and well timed shot.

Of course his record is marred by his drug test failures. Was he clean most of the time? Guess we'll never know. Never a "Full" champion he would have been a handful for most. Hope he fully recovers.

A good (and perhaps underrated) fighter who will probably lament his bad luck when he looks back on his career. Never held a 'full' world title belt but he was in a different class to plenty of other Heavyweights who have, some of which were his contemporaries. A bit too chunky for Cruiserweight and a bit too short and stocky to make his kind of technical, aggressive style work against the genuine 'Super-Heavyweights' of the 21st Century. Although I think he actually made Joshua look quite average before the knockout and was outboxing him. Nevertheless, Joshua overpowering him eventually always felt like the probable outcome, especially given Povetkin's age at that point.

Things slowed down a bit for him during that tumultuous period in which he was working with Atlas and after a good start to his pro career he seemed to fade away into the periphery a little between roughly 2008 and 2010. That allowed Haye to slip into the role of 'Saviour of the Heavyweight Division' and the perceived biggest threat to the Klitschko brothers, but I'm not at all sure that Haye would have been able to beat Povetkin had they fought around that time. Povetkin and his handlers probably should have stepped it up rather than back off as per Atlas' instructions during those years and tried to nab a belt before guys like a returning Vitali or Haye did, because I'd say he was already good enough to do that by then (2008-ish).

Certainly been in some very good scraps and put on some impressive displays, too. My guess is that Povetkin is a good Heavyweight in any era and a probable champion in a few, without ever being quite good enough to rank amongst the elite.

In the 70s would have been a podgy...slobby trialhorse for the likes of Jimmy Young to tone up with..

Good riddance...Please take Ruiz with you..

The failed drugs test means i'm glad to see the back of him, should not have been allowed to fight again after that.

Evaluating him purely on his actual fights i'd have him down as the fifth best heavyweight since Lennox Lewis; Wladimir, Vitali, Fury and AJ being those above him. I do understand Wilder's reluctance to fight a drugs cheat but did think that was nothing more than an excuse because they knew he'd be vulnerable against someone who was heavy handed, tough and technically sound.