AJ of Old is on Show…

No one really was quite sure which Anthony Joshua would turn out Saturday night. With a mega money fight on the horizon against Deontay Wilder, the last thing AJ would want is a loss in a ‘trap’ fight to the Russian Alexander Povetkin, who in my opinion was Joshua’s sternest test second only to Wladmir Klitschko. Would the AJ who played it safe and was content to box behind his jab and coast to a points win over Joseph Parker be on display, or the Joshua who tore apart his opponents in the first 19 fights of his career.

If we had any doubt it would be the former, then Povetkin changed the face of the game in the very first round when he took the attack to Joshua and forced him into a fight. A bloody nose may have bought out the beast in Joshua but it took a good few rounds for the heavyweight champion to get going and find his groove. Before this though it was Povetkin who looked like he was on top, landing several flush blows and barely missed with a number of others.

Povetkin though, probably felt that his best chance was early in the game, to test AJ’s chin and catch him with a surprise shot. Povetkin is vastly underrated as a fighter, he may not be outstanding in any aspect of his game but he is sound on all levels and is a handful for anyone. The fact that only a top of his career Wladmir Klitschko had managed to beat Povetkin was ample proof of the Russian’s ability and skills. At 39yrs of age though, Povetkin is clearly past his peak, despite pressing the action in the first half of the fight, you knew his legs would struggle to carry him through the latter half of the fight if he was going to keep up the same tactics.

In round seven the end finally came and it was a smart combo from Joshua which sent Povetkin to the canvas for the first time. A short right hook to the body followed by a left hook to the head found its target, Joshua showing his ring IQ by switching levels from body to head. Once the left hook had landed and Povetkin had been stunned, it left him open for Joshua’s right hand and that is something you don’t want to be at the end of. Povetkin boldly stumbled up from the count, but it was plain to see the fight had been knocked out of him and it was only a matter of seconds before it would be over. It was clear as day to AJ too as he wasted no time in pouncing on Povetkin and sending him back to the canvas again, this time for good as the fight was waved off.

The win was one of AJ’s most impressive victories to date and leaves open the door for a battle for the titles against Deontay Wilder. Wilder of course has the small matter of facing the 6’9 Tyson Fury next – although we haven’t got a venue for the fight yet despite it being announced the date of December 1st has been booked. Joshua may have looked good defeating Povetkin, but no doubt Wilder will be looking at that first round and backing himself to land on Joshua and if Wilder lands clean, he has the ability to finish the fight in a moments notice.

Both Joshua and Povetkin are fans of Rival Boxing Gloves

Joshua v Povetkin Undercard Review

The undercard wasn’t quite as impressive as the headline event. Lawrence Okolie moved to 10-0 and in the process became the British Cruiserweight Champion but the fight was a poor spectacle and demonstrated Okolie’s wrestling skills more than it did his boxing ability. With constant clinching it was difficult for his opponent, Matt Askin to get anything going and it quickly developed into the most boring fight I had seen since….Lawrence Okolie defeated Isaac Chamberlain in another fight which resembled Roman Greco Wrestling more than it did boxing.

The lightweight Luke Campbell was also on show, looking to avenge his first career loss back in 2015 against Yvan Mendy. Campbell who turns 31 later this month lived up to nickname of ‘Cool Hand’ with a very impressive display, sticking to his game plan and never getting carried away. He boxed to a perfect game, constantly moving and jabbing and was deserved of the unanimous decision he came away with.

David Price was also fighting on the night. Price of course, had been brutally knocked out earlier in the year on the Joshua v Parker undercard by Joshua’s opponent for the night of 22nd September, Alexander Povetkin. This time Price was fighting another Russian, Sergey Kuzmin who happened to be a stablemate of Povetkins. Price is huge body who can punch but unfortunately as good as his punching power is, his chin is on the opposite end of the spectrum and hasn’t been able to hold up to the power of the heavyweight division. Another worrying issue around Price has been his lack of fitness and it was on display again. Although after a long amateur and pro career you get the feeling it might not be down to poor fitness but perhaps a mental issue with the big man. Anxiety can cause one to tire quicker than usual and it is possible Price is anxious about his performance and his chin and this is causing him to tire quicker than expected. Price was blowing heavily after the first three rounds and although the fight was pretty even after four rounds, an injury he apparently carried into the fight, coupled with his poor conditioning led him to retire on his stool and hand Kuzmin the victory. When fights are even, usually the one with the better fitness will pull ahead in the latter stages and with Prices history of scary knockout losses, he may have decided it was better to quit at round four rather than tiring, fighting injured and face another heavy knockout.

Strength and Conditioning for Boxing – The ebook from Fayz Fitness. Let’s hope it helps you to last more than three rounds…