After much anticipation, Wladimir Klitschko will take on Alexander Povetkin this Saturday in an epic heavyweight fight between two great boxers, and it will be one of the most entertaining fights to watch all year.
This fight has been in the works for some time now. It was scheduled for two different times, but it was pushed back to this Saturday. Klitschko will be attempting to retain his IBF, WBO, IBO, WBA (Super) and The Ring heavyweight belts in this fight, looking to hold off the undefeated Olympic gold medal winner in Povetkin.
Both fighters have taken interesting paths to this point, so let's take a look at a quick preview of both boxers and the fight itself, followed by a prediction of how the fight will end.
Where: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia
When: Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: HBO
Live Stream: Replay on HBOGO
Wladimir Klitschko
It's truly been an incredible run for Dr. Steelhammer, and at 60-3, he's looking to continue his streak of 18 straight wins. He goes into this fight as the second-longest reigning Heavyweight Champion ever, with Joe Louis the only boxer to ever defend the title for longer.
The last time Klitschko lost was back in 2004 after he was knocked out by Lamon Brewster. Since then, he's won by KO or TKO in 11 of his last 18 opponents, with all of them being wins.
What makes him such a great fighter is his overwhelming size and solid technical ability. He loves to start with a left jab and then do some damage with his right hand, and he does it with consistent success.
A win would continue this impressive win streak and solidify Klitschko as easily the best heavyweight fighter in the world. He may be getting up there in age at 37 years old, but he still has plenty of pop behind those gloves.
Alexander Povetkin
While Klitschko has all of those title belts, Povetkin will be bringing his own in into the ring with his WBA title. He won the belt back in 2011 against Ruslan Chagaev, beating him by unanimous decision in 12 rounds.
Povetkin has never lost and he's defended that WBA title four times, but he nearly lost it to Marco Huck in 2012. It was a tough battle throughout and Povetkin barely pulled it out, winning by majority decision.
The 34-year-old Povetkin provides an interesting challenger against Dr. Steelhammer, with an undefeated record and 18 knockouts on the contender's resume.
If he's able to win, Povetkin will officially prove himself as a top-tier heavyweight fighter. His 28 wins have all been against mediocre competition, so this will be his first real test if he wants to truly prove himself in the boxing world.
Prediction
As good as Povetkin has been so far in his career, he's at a significant disadvantage in this fight. Klitschko has the advantage in all of the physical aspects, including height, weight and reach.
We might not see the outright domination we're used to seeing from Wladimir, but he's still the better fighter. He's gone against some much stronger fighters than Povetkin has, which means that experience will put him on top.
This fight isn't going to go the distance. Expect Klitschko to take home his 61st career win, and for his legend to continue to grow.
Klitschko wins by 10th round TKO
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