Wladimir Klitschko can come. That’s what must have gone through the mind of Alexander Povetkin on Friday night after he finished off Andrzej Wawrzyk inside three rounds. It was obvious that the Pole was over his head from the get go and was sent to the canvas on three occasions before the 33-year-old Russian was declared the winner and still WBA (fake) Heavyweight Champion of the world.
The defending fake champion started of slowly at the Crocus City Hall in Myakinino, close to the Russian capital of Moscow. In front of the eyes of Vitali Klitschko (current WBC Champion), former WBA Champion Nikolai Valuev as well as American movie star Steven Seagal the Russian mainly dominated with his jab. But from round two onwards, Povetkin did not hold back anymore.
The orthodox fighter started to dominate Wawrzyk, who wasn’t able to take advantage of his superior height and reach. After pushing him into the corner, the champion caught the Pole with a powerful right hook straight to the chin, which sent the previously undefeated heavyweight crashing to the floor. Still feeling the pain, the challenger managed to get back to his feet and was later saved by the bell.
However, the Olympic gold medalist continued the third round exactly where he left off with. This time it was a left hook by Povetkin which found the target and once again the 25-year-old Pole found himself on the floor. Just a few seconds later he was caught by another shot. This time referee Russell Mora stopped the punishment for Wawrzyk and it was all over.
Povetkin was understandably happy about his 26th victory out of as many professional fights. “Everything went exactly as I wanted it to,” said the man form Chekhov, Russia. “It took a little bit of time to get into the fight but once I got started it was pretty much over.”
The defending fake champion already knows what his upcoming challenge will look like. The next time Povetkin steps into the ring he will be looking straight into, or actually, straight up at, the eyes of Wladimir Klitschko, the reigning heavyweight kingpin. Staging the mega fight will be Russian based Hrunov Promotions who won the purse bid by putting more than $23 million on the table.
Wawrzyk on the other hand had to taste defeat for the very first time in his career after 27 previous victories.
In earlier action, Guillermo Jones scored a very surprising KO victory over Denis Lebedev. Jones, once regarded one of the best cruiserweights in the world, has been exceedingly inactive over the past few years. Meanwhile, Lebedev has been busy and has improved his craft.
However, he took serious damage early in the fight, and it wasn’t long before his right eye was nearly completely swollen shut. He continued to battle on, but eventually succumbed in the 11th round.
