The Heavyweight Boxing Landscape After Joshua vs Povetkin
Anthony Joshua is still the number one heavyweight boxer on the planet. Alexander Povetkin was a decent enough challenger, footing it with the champ for six rounds and even leading on a few unofficial scorecards… but once Anthony Joshua spots a weakness he becomes an unstoppable monster. AJ rocked Povtekin in the seventh and very quickly had him on the ground thereafter. Povetkin, who had never been knocked out in his career previously, staggered back up to his feet and was immediately set upon by Joshua again and the fight was mercifully stopped with 1:59 to go in the seventh.
Honestly, the way that Anthony Joshua can go from zero to deathbringer is unparalleled in the sport right now. It’s true that he’s not the most polished fighter, it’s true that he has weaknesses in his defence and can be vulnerable when he comes up against guys who can hit him back just as hard. But there’s nobody who ends a fight as brutally swift as Anthony Joshua can. The Povetkin battle was pretty even right up until the Russian was sitting on his arse counting the stars as they flew past his eyes. A flick of the wrist and the entire thing flipped. Joshua’s ability to pounce upon a rattled opponent is one of the most incredible things you’ll see in the modern sport.
There is one other man who can do what he does, of course. Deontay Wilder hits harder than Joshua and is every bit as vulnerable to the counter shot. He also makes a habit of dropping bodies in the ring. But with Wilder it’s like you know at every moment that the hammer could drop whereas with Anthony Joshua he’s more relaxed with it until he spots that opening and then boom.
Wilder versus Joshua is the fight that we all want to see. It’s the fight that we might have already seen had the two parties been a little chirpier. It’s a weird one because we know that they both want it, neither dude’s one to duck a challenge, but every time they talk the negotiations end up stalling. They’ve called each other out more times than Romeo and Juliet. At this stage they’re surely going to step it out in April when AJ’s booked for his next defence. Surely. Unless something else gets in the way and Dillian Whyte gets to come to the party as a replacement.
Joshua made his point clear in beating Povetkin. That was a mandatory challenge, clearing the path for optional defences for the next year or so. But Deontay Wilder’s busy because he’s taking on Tyson Fury on December 1 in a fight that makes very little sense from a boxing perspective. Tyson Fury has fought twice since he commenced his long awaited comeback. Both against no-names for easy enough wins. Give the Gypsy King credit, he’s gotten into some serious shape. Nothing compared to Joshua but given where he was a year ago it’s hard to believe. Thing is, he was a long time out of the ring and has been through an insane amount of personal drama in that space of time. If he can foot it with Deontay Wilder this soon after making his return than fair play to him but it’s incredibly hard to imagine.
However from a financial point of view this one does tick a few more boxes. Wilder’s team want a 50/50 split with Anthony Joshua which, for a heavyweight unification bout, doesn’t sound far off fair enough. Except AJ’s team will never agree to that. They’re lowballing Wilder and for good reason. Both are heavyweight champs with outstanding knockout ability so it’s close enough in that regard, but Joshua has two extra belts and a much bigger name. Wilder fighting Fury though, that’ll give him a showcase for British boxing fans, regardless of whether Furys back to his old level or not (even if he is, the Fury that beat Klitschko would probably lose to 2018 Wilder anyway). Whup his arse and he might just get the purse split with AJ that he’s after.
One thing’s for sure: they can’t keep dodging this bout much longer. In the last year the heavyweight scene has finally levelled out into a proper hierarchy. Guys like Povetkin, Joseph Parker, Luis Ortiz and Dominic Breazeale have all taken Ls recently. Jarrell Miller remains undefeated but a long way from getting a title shot. Dillian Whyte is also on the fringe. But there’s no doubt about it that Joshua and Wilder are 1a and 1b. Only one way to sort it out from here.
Spare a thought for Joseph Parker in all of this. He’s slipping down the rankings after consecutive defeats, BoxRec have him at 10 these days which is a bit harsh. You know what though? That loss against Whyte was close, mate. He was a round away from doing it. Perhaps take that dodgy knockdown out of the picture and it might’ve been a different approach from the two fighters at the end. That’s something that happens – one of them had to lose.
The Anthony Joshua defeat was much more one-sided, although Parker’s underwhelming performance is already starting to look better in hindsight than it did at the time. Alexander Povetkin had never been knocked out before, he’d only lost once before and that was to Wladimir Klitschko. He got KO’d by AJ. Joseph Parker may not have brought much to the party in terms of his attack but he also withstood everything that Joshua had to offer, still the only man to go the full twelve rounds with the champ.
Joshua fought within himself that day but that approach was a bit of a compliment. Only a bit because it was AJ admitting that he could win the fight on points by keeping on his jab from a distance but still a compliment because he went away from the usual script. Parker’s not on the level of Joshua or Wilder. He’s probably a little of the level of Povetkin and Whyte too. But he’s up there with the rest of them. Something to keep in mind when people dismiss him or tell him to retire.
Whack an ad like AJ whacks fools if you rate the reads
Support The Niche Cache by hooking it up on Patreon
Keep Cool But Care