Four-Minute Warning

Elliot Worsell explains the path that has brought Alexander Povetkin to Wembley Stadium and Anthony Joshua.

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THOUGH it’s been nearly six months in the making, Russia’s Alexander Povetkin arrived in London this week, ahead of a September 22 fight with Anthony Joshua, knowing he’s the opponent nobody wants.

Do-gooder purists don’t want Povetkin because he’s a two-time drug cheat, casual fans don’t want him because he’s not Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte, and the team behind Anthony Joshua would rather not have to deal with him because Povetkin, despite his lack of marketability, is a very, very capable heavyweight contender.

But none of this matters. As WBA mandatory challenger, Povetkin is here, he has – according to rankings at least – earned his shot, and a March 31 knockout of David Price, when strategically placed on an Anthony Joshua undercard, was our four-minute warning that ‘Sasha’ was next.

So, prepare yourself. Deal with it. If it’s not a sexy enough heavyweight title fight for you, or if it suffers when compared to Joshua vs. Wilder or even Joshua vs. Whyte, find consolation in this truth: Povetkin, at his best, is probably better than anyone Joshua has faced not named Wladimir Klitschko.

“Without a doubt,” said Joshua’s coach Rob McCracken. “It’s not even close. He’s the mandatory. You wouldn’t choose him, would you? He’s a good fighter, he knows what he’s doing, he’s an Olympic champ, a world champ, and only lost his world title to Klitschko. He’s from the top tier of boxing and is very dangerous and well-schooled.”That’s the sell in its simplest form and, with a fight like this, it’s best to keep things simple. Here goes: Povetkin [