Alexander Povetkin vs Andrzej Wawrzyk Preview May 18
WBA ‘regular’ Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin of Russia will be attempting to defend his title for the fourth time this Saturday May 18 when he takes on Andrzej Wawrzyk of Poland in Moscow. Povetkin isn’t very well known outside of Europe, but the 33-year-old is undefeated up to now and will enter the ring with a record of 25-0 with 17 Kos.
Povetkin was a good amateur boxer who won a gold medal for Russia. He’s 6-foot-2 and usually weighs in at about 225 lbs and has beaten the likes of Ruslan Chagaev, Marco Huck, Chris Byrd, Eddie Chambers and Hasim Rahman in the past. However, he hasn’t really taken on any of the heavyweight division’s elite boxers up to now and he won’t be doing so when he meets the 25-year-old Wawrzyk.
While Wawrzyk is also unbeaten at 27-0 with 13 Kos he hasn’t faced the same caliber of boxers that Povetkin has. He needs to be aware that the Russian likes to take his time in the ring, but is perfectly capable of opening up with combination of up to five punches at a time. Wawrzyk has a height advantage since he stands 6-foot-5 and he also has a good jab. He’s pretty fleet of foot in the ring, but isn’t always as busy as he should be when it comes to throwing punches.
Even though he’s quite a bit smaller height-wise, Povetkin is a more physical boxer and stronger than his challenger. It would be wise for him to try and slow Wawrzyk down from the start by hammering away to his body. Povetkin’s not a bad boxer at all and if it wasn’t for the Klitschko brothers, who have been dominating the heavyweight division for the past decade or so, he could very well be recognized as one of the world’s top heavyweights.
Wawrzyk has youth on his side, but he simply hasn’t been tested as of yet by fighting the likes of Denis Bakhtov, who he beat by a unanimous decision. However, Wawrzyk found himself on the canvas in that bout and had to pick himself up for the win. This leads to questions about the state of his chin.
Top Boxing Sportsbook: 5Dimes.eu
Widest Variety and Most Competitive Lines Online -> Visit Now!
Prediction
Povetkin has decent power and is a good boxer. He often gets off to slow starts though and will usually just throw enough punches to make sure he wins the rounds. He’s got a pretty solid chin. He seems to fight his best when he’s being tested in the ring, like he was against Marco Huck. When he has his way with an opponent we don’t see the best out of him and he often looks unmotivated. This is the dilemma that Wawrzyk faces. If the challenger really takes it to Povetkin it will inspire the champion and he’ll be at his best. A knockout by the challenger looks to be a long shot, so let’s look for Povetkin to hang onto his title by a comfortable decision.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds of a Povetkin win at -1700 and a Wawrzyk victory at +1100. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done of late capping the fights.
Alexander Povetkin betting • Andrzej Wawrzyk betting