Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin - September 22 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION)

Joshua vs. Povetkin
September 22, 2018
Wembley Stadium
London, England

Main Card:
Anthony Joshua (21-0)  vs. (34-1)   Alexander Povetkin
Main Event |  IBF - IBO - WBA - WBO Title Fight | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120 kg)

Luke Campbell (18-2)    vs.           (40-4)   Yvan Mendy
Co-Main Event | Lightweight | 135 lbs (61 kg)

Matty Askin (30-0)        vs.       (9-0)   Lawrence Okolie
Main Card | Cruiserweight  | 200 lbs (91 kg)

British heavyweight Joshua will be defending his many title belts against Russian Povetkin who only has one loss in his professional career.

The fight will be taking place at the 80,000 capacity Wembley Stadium, the venue of Joshua's mega-fight against Wladimir Klitschko last year.

The London 2012 Olympic champion is a heavy favourite to win the bout against Povetkin, although the 39-year-old Russian has an impressive pro record of his own, having only lost one fight to superstar Klitschko back in 2013.

Povetkin scored a brutal fifth round knockout over Olympic bronze medal winner David Price, while Joshua appeared in the main event and won a twelve round unanimous decision over Joseph Parker to unify his four belts.

Its time

That was a really good fight.

I don't really love to say it, but there was something really suspicious during the stoppage.

I watched it back several times, and I think Povetkin was boxing normally, and was hit with hellacious shots.

But there was something really weird that his trainer did.

Povetkin went down right in his own corner. As he went to stand up, he put his left glove on the rope, and looked to fall through the ropes. Actually, his own trainer grabbed his arm and pulled him through the ropes (the images are cut off a little below, you can click the image to see the full ones).





Povetkin got hit again, and his trainer was immediately on the apron, waving his arms telling the ref to stop it (Povetkin was indeed done, but based on the above, this might be additional indication of ulterior motive).


Charles Farrell wrote about Tyson-McNeally in 'Why I fixed Fights'; about how the trainer stopped the fight for gambling reasons, short of 1:30 of the first round.

Likewise, this trainer could have had an interest in the fight being stopped at that point. The way he grabbed Povetkin's arm and pulled him through the ropes, was quite strange.

Could he have been panicking and worried about his man? It's possible. But, I think it looked like something else was on his mind.

On watching it in live action, I thought his trainer was illegally helping him up. But the replay showed the angle where you could clearly see the trainer grab his arm, and pull his glove off the rope, causing him to fall through the ropes. Povetkin had to fight off the grip. This likely influenced the referee, and could have easily caused an immediate stoppage. The cornerman jumping up also might have prompted the ref, although I don't know whether the ref was focused in that direction, and it was a proper stoppage, I think. I think Povetkin was done, and I didn't see signs of him intentionally getting knocked out.

He may have been fighting against Joshua, and also his own cornerman, though.

Based on the odd behavior, one especially sinister possibility is that it was in effect a WWE event, and the plan was for Povetkin to get knocked out in the 7th round. Exceedingly sinister, yes. Based on the subtleties of boxing, it is possible Povetkin was standing right in front of Joshua, like a sitting duck. it's even possible Joshua by direction poured it on in that moment.

Sorry to piss on everyone's parade here, but that was legitimately strange happenings.

My real opinion though is that the fighters fought, Povetkin was trying to win, but possibly had the deck cynically stacked against him, in the way of the motivation of his own corner. I don't think it made much difference in the outcome. But, his trainer possibly had an interest in him losing by knockout at or around that juncture.

Now I rewound to an earlier part of the fight, and Povetkin is noticeably standing at a little bit shorter distance.

Distance is very important in boxing.

In round 7, Povetkin was standing in no-man's land.

I'm sorry, but Povetkin might have got knocked out on purpose. There might have been a lot of gambling money on a 7th round Joshua knockout.

Hate to say it, but it may be so.

You never know. It happens in boxing so it is hard to say.