Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin officially set for Sept. 22
Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn officially announced that Anthony Joshua will defend his titles against Alexander Povetkin on Sept. 22.
It’s official: Anthony Joshua will defend his four heavyweight titles on Saturday, Sept. 22 against Alexander Povetkin. We’ve been expecting this news for some time. Negotiations between Joshua and Alexander’s team have taken longer than expected. This is the fight that the public anticipated but didn’t necessarily want.
Originally, fight fans hoped for a mega-fight between Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) and undefeated American WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs). Wilder knocked out Luis Ortiz in March. It was a highly competitive bout that saw both men get seriously hurt. Wilder finished off Ortiz in the 10th round.
Joshua did his part in keeping a fight with Wilder alive by beating Joseph Parker in late March to add the WBO heavyweight title to his collection. It was the first time in Joshua’s career that he didn’t knock out his opponent. Regardless of his performance, the fight filled Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It’s estimated that over 78,000 fans attended the fight.
The prospect of a matchup between Joshua and Wilder conjured up ideas of having the most significant heavyweight bout in the last several decades. The negotiation drama between the two camps played out in public for months.
On April 11, it was widely reported that Eddie Hearn offered Wilder a flat fee of $12.5 million dollars to fight Joshua. Wilder’s team rejected the offer.
Then, on June 12, Wilder excited fans and pundits by announcing that he had agreed to terms to fight Joshua. FanSided talked to Wilder’s manager Jay Deas that same day, and he stated that they expected a contract from Eddie Hearn the next day. That didn’t happen.
Negotiations got messy as time went by and Hearn finally announced that he sent a contract to Wilder’s team. Wilder’s team stated that they sent it back because it was missing key details such as a fight date and venue. Wilder later told Tha Boxing Voice that the rematch clause was one-sided in favor of Joshua.
On June 26, the WBA gave Matchroom Boxing and Joshua 24 hours to negotiate a title defense with Povetkin. They quickly announced that they would work out a deal with Povetkin and the dream fight between Joshua and Wilder vanished.
Eddie Hearn later announced that Joshua will defend his title twice at Wembley with the first fight happening in September and the next occurring in April of next year. Most assumed Povetkin would be the challenger, but an official announcement wasn’t made until today.
Matchroom Boxing announced on their website that Joshua and Povetkin will fight on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Wembley Stadium. It’s taken a long time to get to this point.
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In the press release, Joshua stated, “Povetkin is a serious challenge that I will prepare meticulously for. He has serious pedigree and only a fool would underestimate what he brings to the table.”
Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs) has been a top heavyweight for the last 11 years. His only loss came to Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. He lost by unanimous decision. Povetkin’s gone 8-0 with 6 KOs since.
Povetkin is a serious challenge to Joshua, but he’ll likely be a sizeable underdog. He’s 38 years old and past his best form. He knocked out a badly faded David Price in the undercard of the Joshua/Parker fight. Povetkin’s fifth-round KO of Price was picturesque, but Price hurt Povetkin with a left hook in the third round that sent him flying against the ropes. Povetkin looked more vulnerable in this fight than he has since his loss to Klitschko.
Joshua vs. Povetkin isn’t the most desirable fight, but it should come close to selling out in Joshua’s home country of England. He’s a big enough draw there to fill any arena. Fans still hope for a Joshua/Wilder matchup in April of next year, but Povetkin could spoil the best-laid plans if he can connect with one magical punch in September.