By: Shane Willoughby
After his recent win over Hughie Fury, Povetkin has found himself in a very tricky position.
The Russian rolled back the years to outwork and defeat someone young enough to be his son. Povetkin proved that not only is he still a threat to many fighters in the division but age is only a number.
Although Povetkin was favourite before the bout, not many had Povetkin picked him to win on points and so comfortably. As the fight got on ‘Sasha’ defied the laws of nature and got stronger.
With all that said Povetkin is now 40 years old and has a lot of miles on the clock so, it’s only a matter of time before he hangs up the gloves. But when?
After being stopped in the 7th round last September against former unified champion Anthony Joshua, many thought that his chances of a world title are gone, and his retirement was looking imminent.
Since then Povetkin has been linked with fights against Dillian Whyte, Oleksandr Usyk, Michael Hunter and Tyson Fury. All of those are more than substantial and a win over one of those fighters will propel him back into title contention.
Whilst it doesn’t look this way, logic will say that his days at the top level is numbered, with maybe a few big fights left. So with time being so limited, he cannot afford to be so inactive.
Povetkin has only fought once in the past year and with all due respect to Fury, his level of competition hasn’t been very high. The former WBA champion has expressed his desire to face the Gypsy King at the end of the year which is a big step up from his cousin.
But with Tyson Fury set to face Wilder next February, it’s hard to see him take such a big risk and face the Russian. Plus with Usyk and Hunter already with fight dates, it looks as if Povetkins chance of a big fight this year is slim.
However, Eddie Hearn has a massive stable of heavyweights and one fight that is extremely likely for Povetkin is the winner of Chisora vs Parker. However with Chisora and Parker set to fight this October, the fight with Povetkin won’t happen until next year.
The 40-year-old is highly ranked with all of the governing bodies so many fighters coming up could look at Povetkin as a fight with a lot to gain, not to mention the fact that he is a great name to have a win over.
Whatever Povetkin decides to do next, he has to make his decision soon because father time is knocking at the door.
