Alexander Povetkin is he over rated?

[Vincent Gottschalk]

While I think Povetkin is a fine over all good fighter with good power and speed and nice boxing skills, I think he is over rated at this point. The guy lacks one punch KO power and is under sized. I think Povetkin is a Russian Jerry Quarry who will do well but never be able to beat a guy like Wladimir who has far more talent.:deal

[TanstA]

Until he faces someone elite this could be said.

[Kolya]

If you go by what they've done that's comparable, what's to say Wlad has more talent? He's bigger and very athletically gifted, but there's nothing to say Povetkin can't beat him, because with experience he'll fight in a way that bothers Wladimir. And if you go by what they've both done-Povetkin was a better amateur and has done more in his first fights than Wlad did in a comparable number of fights.

[Heavyrighthand]

I think Povetkin is the real thing. His defense seems to be glaringly wide open, but he does have skill, speed, and a very aggressive, always press forward style that I love to watch. He brings the fight to his opponent, period.

His fight with Byrd will be a very telling fight. It should be a real test for Povetkin, given that he's now on in the upper tier and is in against a very fast and very slick fighter in Byrd who can probably still beat 8 out of the current top 10.

I can't wait to see this one. If Povetkin can beat Byrd, I would then put him in the top five or six.

[mykolakozak]

Povetkin has a much better amateur resume than Wlad, But he is not of the same class as Wlad, unless the younger bro wants to fight till he is 40, by then Povetkin will probably destroy him. Until then I doubt.

[achillesthegreat]

To date his record speaks for itself. He continues to improve with Byrd next. If he beats Byrd he will be a proven top contender. After Byrd he'll have to face Brock-Chambers winner. By the time he gets his title shot he will have earnt it.

[joeboxer]

While I think Povetkin is a fine over all good fighter with good power and speed and nice boxing skills, I think he is over rated at this point. The guy lacks one punch KO power and is under sized. I think Povetkin is a Russian Jerry Quarry who will do well but never be able to beat a guy like Wladimir who has far more talent.:dealin that case he may be the second best in the division. the guy is fighting Byrd and in my opinion will win easily. He's an amatuer superstar who is backing it up in the pro's. I don't think its overrated, its backed up by 13-0 10 ko's over good opening opposition.

[brooklyn1550]

I think it's too early to proclaim Povetkin as the "savior of the heavyweight division," but he is a really good fighter. He throws sharp, snappy, quick combinations to the body and the head and puts the pressure on his opponents. His fight with Byrd next month should tell us more about him. If he wins impressively, he becomes a top 10 heavyweight. I like the Jerry Quarry comparison.

[huki]

So just because he doesn't have one punch KO power and is undersized he's overrated? Povetkin is the only prospect (or near contender now) that deserves the hype he gets. There's no other prospect in boxing that's taking such quick steps up and dominating his opponents so easily. Add the amateur record in and just plain looking at the way he fights and you get a guy who actually deserves the hype.

For his next match, Byrd will be a test and a great win but not the best test he could get right now. He is past it and there's no way he'll handle a high output swarmer with power/speed/timing like Povetkin at this point. I can't believe there are a significant number of people picking Byrd to outbox him for 12 rounds. Hopefully that means the odds might be close on sportsbooks.

[aliwasthegreatest]

byrd is far too past it to beat him. i believe at his best he would make povetkin feel silly but now its too late for all that. Also Solis has a great chance if he can work off some fat. his next fight is Ross Purrity. now sure Purrity was never more than a journeyman and is far past it at this point. but for his 4th fight? outstanding

[DamonD]

Byrd fight should be a good indicator.
Byrd is not what he was, but he was still a top boxer not so long ago and if Povetkin can beat him then that would be the biggest win of his career.

[sues2nd]

AP is a good fighter with good skills...I think he will hold a belt one day. That said, I have heard everything from he will be the number one p4p fighter alive to that he will be a bum once he faces a good fighter. Quite honestly, the truth is in between.

So do I feel he is overrated? By some....HELL YES!!!
So do I feel he is underrated? By some...HELL YES!!!

Im not so sure he is quite ready for Byrd yet tho. Byrd is still a very very good defensive fighter, with some speed and an above average offensive repetoir (spell check???). Would I be surprised to see AP beat him, nah...but I slightly still favor Byrd in this one.

[aliwasthegreatest]

iunno man i can't see byrd winning this. i see them setting povetkin up for a beatdown against wlad. makes me sad. i'd like to see hio fight about a year or 2 more before he goes for that.

[sues2nd]

iunno man i can't see byrd winning this. i see them setting povetkin up for a beatdown against wlad. makes me sad. i'd like to see hio fight about a year or 2 more before he goes for that.

Dont get me wrong...I could very well see AP winning, but at this point in his career, he has never seen a fighter like Byrd in the pros. Byrd's style can make him a nightmare for almost anyone (dont just go by his fight vs Wlad...Byrd tried to come forward all day and never fought "his" fight...dumbest strategy I have EVER seen). So just as I could see him beating Byrd, I think there is just as big, if not more of a chance that he could get thoroughly taken out of his game.

Byrd isnt as bad as people make him out to be.

[aliwasthegreatest]

thats only because his style cannot work against Wlad. so his only chance was to hope he could reach him and that wlads chin was as bad as some people think.

[huki]

thats only because his style cannot work against Wlad. so his only chance was to hope he could reach him and that wlads chin was as bad as some people think.
His style cannot work against Wlad? :lol: A swarmer with technical skill and all of the abilities that Povetkin has (and a great chin, but I can't state that as a fact for arguments at this point) is THE style to beat him. God damn, it's unbelievable what a few consecutive wins against pretty good competition will do to a fighter's reputation. Wlad is indestructible to some people on here.

[aliwasthegreatest]

well considering i was talking about byrd not povetkin. but nice one

[huki]

Dont get me wrong...I could very well see AP winning, but at this point in his career, he has never seen a fighter like Byrd in the pros. Byrd's style can make him a nightmare for almost anyone (dont just go by his fight vs Wlad...Byrd tried to come forward all day and never fought "his" fight...dumbest strategy I have EVER seen). So just as I could see him beating Byrd, I think there is just as big, if not more of a chance that he could get thoroughly taken out of his game.

Byrd isnt as bad as people make him out to be. Byrd almost lost to McCline and probably should have lost to Golota. The only real impresive win for him came against Tua and he's a guy who's tailor made for him to toy around with. Byrd has trouble with any high-output swarmers and when you add everything else that Povetkin brings, he has absolutely no chance in this fight, unless he breaks both of Povetkin's shoulders.

well considering i was talking about byrd not povetkin. but nice one
Haha, shit. Well, you can apply my comment to everyone who says that Wlad is a killing machine because he beat Peter, Brewster, Brock, Byrd, and Austin and Povetkin can't even get past his jab.

[Amsterdam]

Dont get me wrong...I could very well see AP winning, but at this point in his career, he has never seen a fighter like Byrd in the pros. Byrd's style can make him a nightmare for almost anyone (dont just go by his fight vs Wlad...Byrd tried to come forward all day and never fought "his" fight...dumbest strategy I have EVER seen). So just as I could see him beating Byrd, I think there is just as big, if not more of a chance that he could get thoroughly taken out of his game.

Byrd isnt as bad as people make him out to be.

Byrd is well shot, he will be destroyed. He was even hurt to the body against the last light hitting journeyman that he fought.

Picking Byrd at this point is ignorant.

[El Bombasto]

he has faced and convincingly beat very impressive competition for so early in his career, but unless he works on his defense, he can forget about dethroning wlad

[box03]

Will see what happens when he fights someone worth a shit, Brock was overhyped and he got his head knocked off by Wladimir. The fighters coming up in the Heavywieght division are decent nothing more nothing less. I guess him and Chambers are the best fighters on the come up, niether fighter really excites me.

[achillesthegreat]

I really hope Povetkin has the grit in him like Fitzsimmons, Dempsey, Louis etc The kind that can slay a big guy. Even when they are physically inferior their mental fortitude is so much that they refuse to yield.

Povetkin is the sort of fighter we need today.

[Mendoza]

I think Povetkin is the real thing. His defense seems to be glaringly wide open, but he does have skill, speed, and a very aggressive, always press forward style that I love to watch. He brings the fight to his opponent, period.

His fight with Byrd will be a very telling fight. It should be a real test for Povetkin, given that he's now on in the upper tier and is in against a very fast and very slick fighter in Byrd who can probably still beat 8 out of the current top 10.

I can't wait to see this one. If Povetkin can beat Byrd, I would then put him in the top five or six.

Povetkin will go through Byrd like crap though a goose. Povetkin is for real.

[boxingcar]

While I think Povetkin is a fine over all good fighter with good power and speed and nice boxing skills, I think he is over rated at this point. The guy lacks one punch KO power and is under sized. I think Povetkin is a Russian Jerry Quarry who will do well but never be able to beat a guy like Wladimir who has far more talent.:deal

there's no such thing as a hw "russian" jerry quarry.
you can't compare white russians to white americans.

[joeboxer]

there's no such thing as a hw "russian" jerry quarry.
you can't compare white russians to white americans.this is the dumbest post I've ever read. Stop your ethnic stupidity.

[Feiti]

It´s hard to say if he´s overrated or not. I´m sure some people overrate him and others might underrate him. To know if he´s truly overrated, you´d need to know how the whole collective boxing world rates him on average and then also know how good he ACTUALLY is - which is very early to tell.

I´m sure a lot of people really want a fighter to save the division, so they´ll label the first boxer with the possible potential as such. Povetkin has certainly been the most promising and yes, gotten the "savior" label. This means that if he loses before getting to the top, a bunch of people will scream about him having been overrated from day one.

What is certain is that Povetkin has done excellently well in the division so far. He´s facing a recent heavyweight champion in his 14th fight. A champion who despite probably being on the slide now, reigned for a very long time and beat very good fighters. Povetkin´s wins over Friday Ahunanya, David Bostice, Richard Bango and Larry Donald in a 13 fight career are also very impressive, as is his #29 ranking at boxrec.com after so few fights.

I´m sure Povetkin will go far, even if he doesn´t turn out to be the next Tyson, Lewis or Holyfield.

[boxingcar]

this is the dumbest post I've ever read. Stop your ethnic stupidity.

it's not about ethnicity you fucking moron.

[Decker]

Byrd almost lost to McCline and probably should have lost to Golota. The only real impresive win for him came against Tua and he's a guy who's tailor made for him to toy around with. Byrd has trouble with any high-output swarmers and when you add everything else that Povetkin brings, he has absolutely no chance in this fight, unless he breaks both of Povetkin's shoulders. Overall, good points. I favor AP over Byrd. But if Byrd has more than a bit left, this could be a tough fight. When a fighter reaches a certain age (37), it's hard to tell what they have left.

Haha, shit. Well, you can apply my comment to everyone who says that Wlad is a killing machine because he beat Peter, Brewster, Brock, Byrd, and Austin and Povetkin can't even get past his jab. He may not be a "killing machine" but he's done a good imitation of one lately :yep Not sure if you want AP in there too soon vs Wlad. Let's see what AP can do vs the Byrds & Brocks, fighters Wlad destroyed :!:

[Feiti]

I bet if Povetkin loses a fight before winning a title, a lot of people will write him off, but he´ll come back and dominate nonetheless, just like Wlad after the first Brewster fight.

[sues2nd]

Byrd is well shot, he will be destroyed. He was even hurt to the body against the last light hitting journeyman that he fought.

Picking Byrd at this point is ignorant.

How so?

In a few years, Byrd will be done. Right now he is on the decline...but he has still beaten and fought FAR better competition than AP, that cant be debated. Experience means something when your talking an up and coming YOUNG fighter vs an VERY experienced veteren.

AND, as I said, I wouldnt be surprised in the least if AP pulls this out. But as I also stated, to count Byrd out completely is also insane. And as you said "ignorant".

And WTF happened to your avatar.....?

[huki]

Overall, good points. I favor AP over Byrd. But if Byrd has more than a bit left, this could be a tough fight. When a fighter reaches a certain age (37), it's hard to tell what they have left.

How so?

In a few years, Byrd will be done. Right now he is on the decline...but he has still beaten and fought FAR better competition than AP, that cant be debated. Experience means something when your talking an up and coming YOUNG fighter vs an VERY experienced veteren.

AND, as I said, I wouldnt be surprised in the least if AP pulls this out. But as I also stated, to count Byrd out completely is also insane. And as you said "ignorant".

And WTF happened to your avatar.....?

Experience means nothing in this situation. Styles, abilities, and age do. Byrd is done at this point. The last time he looked good was when he fought Holyfield and in his comeback fight on ESPN this year he looked like shit. The "beaten and fought FAR better competition" argument is used a lot on ESB and is almost always insignificant. If you do want to talk about experience, this up and coming young fighter has a lot of experience when you compare him to other prospects after 13 fights because of his great amateur career. Povetkin fights like an experienced fighter and most importantly, he always looks calm/relaxed in the ring.. a rare thing for prospects. But once again, experience means almost nothing when talking about this match. Just look at what Povetkin is bringing into the ring these days and what Byrd is.. then look at how their styles match up. Povetkin KO Byrd.

[T.S.]

No he's not over-rated. He's not even close to his prime.
Barring injury I suspect he will be undisputed HW Champ in 3 years.

[curmudgeon]

The guy lacks one punch KO power and is under sized. I think Povetkin is a Russian Jerry Quarry who will do well but never be able to beat a guy like Wladimir who has far more talent.
Jerry Quarry - is that the guy who won Olympics and was the most dominant amateur super-heavy in the recent memory? Oh... he did not? He just turned pro at 19... Why are you comparing him to Povetkin then?

[Vincent Gottschalk]

You guys kill me with this Povetkin was such a great Amateur stuff means not that much in the pros. :lol: In terms of talent and style Povetkin is much like Quarry fast hands, good power and has a good chin and some nice boxing skills but that about it:deal A very good fighter yes but Povetkin can only wish he has half the pro career that Quarry had:nono

[Guru_Too_You]

To date his record speaks for itself. He continues to improve with Byrd next. If he beats Byrd he will be a proven top contender. After Byrd he'll have to face Brock-Chambers winner. By the time he gets his title shot he will have earnt it.

By beating Byrd, he will have beaten the fighter that many claim is Wlad's biggest win to date.

[Kolya]

You guys kill me with this Povetkin was such a great Amateur stuff means not that much in the pros. :lol: In terms of talent and style Povetkin is much like Quarry fast hands, good power and has a good chin and some nice boxing skills but that about it:deal A very good fighter yes but Povetkin can only wish he has half the pro career that Quarry had:nono

It would be best if you refrained from posting in this thread again; as your every post exposes your ignorance.

[Decker]

You guys kill me with this Povetkin was such a great Amateur stuff means not that much in the pros. :lol: In terms of talent and style Povetkin is much like Quarry fast hands, good power and has a good chin and some nice boxing skills but that about it:deal A very good fighter yes but Povetkin can only wish he has half the pro career that Quarry had:nono VG, I think you're basing the AP as Quarry analogy on size. That is, AP is relatively undersized compared to current HWs like JQ was in his era. I'm not disagreeing on that point. But APs career is a big question mark, we know what Quarry did - and did not. :think Also Quarry was more of a counter puncher, especially vs the bigger HWs. I have seen little of AP, but he seems more of a swarmer type. AP has risen fast - let's see what he can do in his next 2-3 fights.

[curmudgeon]

You guys kill me with this Povetkin was such a great Amateur stuff means not that much in the pros.

Worked quite OK for two other gold medalists - Lewis and Klitchko. Audley is a head case, which is definitely not a problem with Povetkin. Povetkin at amateurs is better then all three IMO.

Stating that such a degree of amateur success is not an indication of talent is beyond stupid - it is funny.

[Scar]

Hell no, who can you find in this HWT era has fought all the dangerous fighters he fought so early in his career and ALSO participate in this tournament?
He's rated fine and I believe he's a future champion for sure.