Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin Not Worth Watching

A few hours from now, reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (60-3,51 KOs) will face Alexander Povetkin (26-0, 18KOs) for what many believe will be an entertaining fight.

I'm not one of those people.

The last time Klitschko was challenged in the ring was in 2005 against Samuel Peter. Kiltschko won the fight by unanimous decision, but he hit the canvas three times. Since then, nobody has been able to land a significant punch on him.

Alexander Povetkin is undefeated, and like Klitschko, is a former Olympic super-heavyweight gold medalist. This has helped to stir hopes in people's hearts that Povetkin has a real chance at pulling off an upset.

The hype behind Povetkin is due to smoke and mirrors.

Alexander Povetkin is undefeated, but who has he beaten? If you look at his record you will see victories against the likes of Chris Byrd and Hasim Rahman. The problem with those men is that they were way past their prime when they met Povetkin.  

Read through the rest of Povetkin's record and you will see a litany of journeymen. He has decent punching power but doesn't have the type of one-punch power that throws fear into an opponent's heart.

Ever since Wladimir Klitschko teamed up with the late great Emanuel Steward, his defense has improved to the point where landing a meaningful punch against him is rarer than a Bigfoot sighting. He has gone eight years without being even close to hurt in the ring. 

Povetkin has more hurdles to clear than just Klitschko's defense.

He is facing a substantial height, weight and reach disadvantage. He is four inches shorter, 16 pounds lighter and has a reach that is two inches shorter than Klitschko's.

Alexander Povetkin is also lacking in experience. He has fought 147 rounds to Klitschko's 313.

The only advantage Povetkin has over Klitschko is his age. He is three years younger than Klitschko.

On paper, this fight looks like it is going to be another easy Klitschko victory. Fight fans will tune in to this fight hoping for a knockout, but Povetkin has decent boxing skills which will probably help him survive a 12-round decision defeat.

Styles make fights.  Unfortunately, the styles of these two fighters will combine to produce a bland result. My advice is to save yourself from 12 rounds of boredom and stick to watching college football this Saturday afternoon.