Alexander Povetkin won the “WBA Regular Heavyweight title” with a twelve round unanimous decision over former champion Rulsan Chagaev in Erfurt, Germany.
Povetkin boxed well early but getting through with some body shots and uppercuts.
Chagaev seemed to have found his way in round’s five through eight as he dominated and even briefly staggered Povetkin with hard left hands.
Povetkin was urged on by trainer Teddy Atlas whose motivating tactics are unmatched as he tried and eventually did light a fire under Povetkin by mentioning Povetkin’s late family and late father.
In round nine, Povetkin started to get inside and penetrate Chagaev’s guard and that continued for the final third of the fight.
Povetkin, 231 1/1 lbs of Russia won by scores of 117-113; 117-113 and 116-112 and is in line for a showdown with Wladimir Klitschko with a record of 22-0.
Chagaev, 231 1/2 lbs of Uzbekistan is now 27-2-1.
It was a very tough fight,” Povetkin said afterwards. “I am very happy that I won. This is for my father, who died last year and always wanted me to be world champion.”
“I told him that the feeling of exhaustion would not last forever, only for 18 minutes at most,” he stated. “I told him he was about to write history. He could become heavyweight champion of the world and win the title for his father.” Povetkin survived the scare and fought back, hitting Chagaev with strong combinations. In the later rounds, he would regain control, cleverly firing in series of hooks and uppercuts. “Povetkin was better and deserved to win,” Chagaev said. “I´m very disappointed. It was not my day.”
Povetkin´s promoter Kalle Sauerland praised the Russian warrior´s skills and will. “He really showed he wanted to win the title. He hung in there when things got rough in the sixth round. I am very happy for Alexander that all his hard work has finally paid off. He´s been an Olympic champion and now he has fulfilled his dream of becoming heavyweight champion as a professional.”
Among the 4,500 spectators in Erfurt, Germany was four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. The Real Deal liked what he saw. “It was a great fight,” he said. “Povetkin and Chagaev fought like middleweights, they were very fast and threw a lot of punches. Povetkin was better. He deserves to be world champion. It was a strong performance.”
Good looking Heavyweight contender Robert Helenius scored a ninth round stoppage over former WBO champ Sergei Liakhovich in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds.
Liakhovich fought hard early but couldn’t seem to get past the size of the 6’7″ Helenius who landed some good shots that had the nose of Liakhovich bleeding early in the contest.
Helenius started dominating in round eight as series of blows dropped Liakhovich to his knees. Liakhovich beat the count but it was only a matter of time before Helenius would score the stoppage.
That happend in the beginning of the next frame as Helenius unloaded a series of power shots that sent Liakhovich down. The referee stopped the fight basically at the same time that Liakhovich;s corner threw in the towel.
Helenius is now 16-0 with eleven knockouts. Liakhovich is now 25-4.
“This is another big win for me,” Helenius said. “I started a little slowly but my coach Mr Wegner woke me up and then I did the right things. Liakhovich was very tough but I was the better man tonight and that´s why I won.”
Liakhovich gave Helenius, who defended his WBA/WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Titles, credit: “He is very strong,” the White Wolf stated. “I don´t want to make any excuses or take anything away from him, but I broke my nose in the second round and had trouble to breathe. But he fought a great fight and deserved to win.”
Hall of Fame Promoter Wilfried Sauerland was full of praise for the hard-hitting Scandinavian. “That was another fantastic win,” he stated. “Robert has now knocked out three former world champions, which is amazing given his young age of just 27 years. His power is incredible and he has the potential to be world champion in the future. It was a great evening of heavyweight boxing.”
Sergei was unable to breathe through his nose from the moment the first break occurred in the third round,” Manager Tony Cardinale said. At the same time, Liakhovich began to swallow copious amounts of blood as he attempted to catch a breath through his mouth.
“Sergei proved last night that he is one of the toughest fighters in the heavyweight division.” Cardinale continued. “Despite a painful handicap that made it nearly impossible for him to take a proper breath, Sergei kept on coming. Even after the knockdown, he came back swinging. Had Sergei not been so severely injured, I think he would have won the fight.”
Doctors, last night, advised “The White Wolf” to remain at the hospital and have immediate surgery under general anesthesia. However, later on Sunday morning, a surgeon determined that the bruising and swelling was too severe to operate right now.
Liakhovich, whose trip back to the US has been postponed due to travel restrictions caused by Hurricane Irene, intends to have the necessary surgery later this week when he returns to his home in Arizona.
“Those who say that there are no exciting fighters in the heavyweight division haven’t been paying attention,” promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events said. “Sergei has now participated in two of the most action-packed heavyweight fights of the past 10 years and he let me know this morning that he wishes to remain as active as possible as soon as he recovers.”
The Belarusian, who has been inactive for 17 months due to a contractual dispute, a training injury and an injury suffered by Helenius earlier in the summer, fought under the Main Events banner for the first time, last night.
“A fighter needs to stay active to be sharp,” Duva continued. “While fighting through the pain and barely able to breathe, Sergei actually improved his performance during the middle rounds as his timing started to come back. When Sergei fully recovers from his injuries, Main Events intends to treat Sergei’s fans–and I know he made a lot of new ones last night–by keeping him very busy.”
