Alexander Povetkin - biography and personal life of a boxer

Alexander Povetkin's last fight

In the last fight to date (took place on December 7, 2020), Alexander Povetkin’s opponent was

Michael Hunter. Povetkin was unable to outbox his opponent - the fight ended in a draw via split decision (SD).

Alexander Povetkin vs Michael Hunter

Personal life

At first, the boxer’s personal life was not very successful. His first marriage ended in divorce. Moreover, the boxer took his daughter to him. She is his greatest love, and he devotes all his victories to his beloved Arina.

With daughter Arina

Soon after the divorce, Povetkin remarried. This time everything is going well. The second wife was able to find an excellent approach to Arina and create the feeling of a reliable rear for Povetkin himself.

With his second wife Evgenia. Wedding.

Like any man, Povetkin loves cars and motorcycles.
His favorite toy is a sports Yamaha, which he sometimes uses to fly along the highway. The family has two good cars, which Povetkin received for victories in battles. And there is also a family pet - pit bull Kim. Source

Table of victories and defeats/record of Alexander Povetkin

Boxing world

Povetkin Alexander Vladimirovich (34-2-0, 24 KOs)
Holder of WBO International and WBA Intercontinental titles Born on September 2, 1979 in Kursk Current place of residence - Chekhov (Moscow region). Height 188 cm, arm span 191 cm. Fighting weight 102-104 kg. Ring nickname: Russian Knight Weight category: super heavyweight. Stance: right-handed Team manager - Dmitry Ivanov Head coach - Ivan Kirpa Physical trainer preparation - Andrey Kozlov Chief team doctor - Evgeniy Shvets Second coach - Igor Nesterov

Titles in amateur boxing: Olympic champion 2004, world champion 2003, European champion 2002 and 2004, Goodwill Games champion 2001, Russian champion 2000-2002. Amateur boxing record: 133 fights, 126 wins, 7 losses. Professional boxing titles: regular WBA world champion (2011-2013), WBC international champion (2014), WBC silver belt holder (2014-2015). Professional boxing record: 35 fights, 34 wins (24 by knockout), one loss. He fought 7 fights for the world title, in which he won 5 victories (3 by knockout) and suffered 2 defeats. In 2002 he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports, and in 2005 he was awarded the Order of Friendship. Married for the second time since 2013, has a daughter from his first marriage - Arina

BIOGRAPHY

Alexander Povetkin is one of the best Russian heavyweights in history. He managed to win all possible titles in amateur boxing, and then became the world champion among professionals. Alexander was born on September 2, 1979 in Kursk. Came to boxing at the age of 12. In addition to boxing, he also competed in kickboxing, hand-to-hand combat, wushu and karate. In 1995, Povetkin became the winner of the Russian youth championship, and two years later he won the national junior championship.

The first major international tournament at the adult level for Povetkin was the 2001 World Championship in Belfast, where he lost to the Ukrainian boxer Alexey Mazykin at the 1/4 final stage. Later that year, in the semi-finals of the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Alexander took revenge on Mazykin, and in the final he defeated Rustam Saidov from Uzbekistan, becoming the gold medalist of the tournament. The following year, Povetkin won gold at the continental championship in Perm, defeating future Olympic champion Italian Roberto Cammarelle in the final. In 2003, Alexander became the strongest heavyweight on the planet, winning the world championship final in Bangkok against the huge Cuban Pedro Carrion. And in 2004, Povetkin confirmed his status as European champion. In the final fight of the tournament, held in Pula, Croatia, Alexander again proved to be stronger than the Italian Roberto Cammarelle.

The crowning achievement of Povetkin’s career in the amateur ring was his victory at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Having successively defeated Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov (Kazakhstan) and Roberto Cammarelle (Italy), Alexander reached the finals of the tournament, where he was supposed to meet the Egyptian Muhammad Ali. However, the opponent refused to enter the ring, citing a hand injury received in the semi-finals, and thus the Olympic gold medal went to Alexander without a fight. Povetkin became the first Russian Olympic heavyweight boxing champion. This ended Alexander's career in amateur boxing. His final track record of official fights in the amateur ring is 126 victories and 7 defeats.

After a pause of almost a year, Alexander decided to test his strength in professional boxing. Povetkin's debut in the professional ring took place on June 11, 2005, when he won an early victory in the 2nd round over German boxer Muhammad Durmaz. Alexander signed a contract with the famous German promotion company Sauerland Event. Therefore, he spent most of his professional fights in the rings of Germany. In October 2007, Povetkin entered a qualifying match for the right to become an official contender for the IBF world title. Alexander managed to stop former world champion American Chris Bird in the 11th round. And three months later, Povetkin won another significant victory in his career, defeating American contender Eddie Chambers on points in a difficult battle. Due to injuries and a change in coaching staff, Alexander entered the fight for the world title only in August 2011. In a stubborn fight, Povetkin managed to win by unanimous decision against former world champion Ruslan Chagaev from Uzbekistan and acquired the status of regular world heavyweight champion according to the WBA. Over the next two years, Alexander successfully defended this title four times, defeating Cedric Boswell (USA), Marco Huck (Germany), Hasim Rahman (USA) and Andrzej Wawrzyk (Poland).

In October 2013, Povetkin went to fight against the holder of the WBA super champion status, as well as world titles according to IBF, WBO and IBO, Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko. At the end of 12 intense rounds, Alexander lost on points to the experienced long-time champion, but in a post-match interview he said that in the future he intends to take revenge for his first defeat in the professional ring. In 2014, Povetkin changed his coaching staff and signed a contract with a Russian promotion company, after which he entered the ring twice, sending German Manuel Charr and Cameroonian Carlos Takam to spectacular knockouts.

In May 2020, Povetkin defeated Mike Perez, and in November of the same year he defeated Pole Mariusz Wach. Russian Knight had the initiative throughout the entire fight. In the 12th round, after another successful combination by Povetkin, Vakh developed a hematoma under his left eye. The referee of the match, Jay Neidi, after consulting with the doctor, decided to stop the fight. Thus, Povetkin won another fourth early victory in a row, and became a mandatory contender for the WBC belt.

On December 19, 2020, Alexander fought a fight against the Frenchman Joan Duhaup (due to the fact that ostarine was found in small quantities in one of the Russian’s doping tests, the fight for the interim WBC title with Bermane Stiverne was cancelled), knocking out his opponent in the sixth round . Povetkin is currently awaiting the autopsy of Sample B, which is scheduled for February 1, 2017.

Doping test “B” of Alexander Povetkin (testing was carried out by the Voluntary Doping Testing Association - VADA), opened on February 1, 2020, turned out to be positive. Traces of ostarine in minimal concentrations were found in the athlete’s body. However, similar tests done in a laboratory in Lausanne gave a negative result.

Let us remind you that one of the Russians’ doping tests before the fight against Bermane Stiverne showed a small amount of the prohibited substance ostarine (20 picograms). What is noteworthy is that the athlete’s other two samples turned out to be clean. Alexander Povetkin denied conscious doping from the very beginning. A small amount of a prohibited substance in a positive doping test, as well as a clean final test, could indicate that the drug could have entered the athlete’s body through food or sports nutrition. As a result, all major boxing organizations excluded Povetkin from their rankings, but the efforts of the Russian boxer’s team, as well as his agreement to voluntary drug testing by the Voluntary Drug Testing Association (VADA), yielded results.

On June 9, VADA officially confirmed that Alexander Povetkin’s samples were clean. As a result, on July 1, the Russian fought for the vacant WBO International and WBA Intercontinental heavyweight belts against Ukrainian Andrey Rudenko. Already in the first round, Rudenko complained of a neck injury, but after a long break and discussions, the fight continued and turned out to be interesting and competitive. Povetkin was more active and faster than his opponent, but Rudenko defended well and counterattacked. After the end of twelve rounds, all judges gave the victory to Alexander Povetkin with a score of 120-109 and 120-108 twice.

A few days later, Alexander Povetkin returned to the ranking of the authoritative American magazine “The Ring Magazine”, finding himself in seventh place, and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) put Alexander in thirteenth place.

At the beginning of October 2020, it became known that Povetkin would defend his WBO International and WBA Intercontinental heavyweight titles on December 15 in Yekaterinburg. It was later announced that his opponent would be the German boxer of Romanian origin Christian Hammer (22-4, 12 KOs), who at that time was ranked second in the WBO ranking, fourth in the IBF ranking and sixth in the WBA ranking.

In November 2020, joyful and long-awaited news for the entire team of Alexander Povetkin arrived. The World Boxing Council (WBC) found Alexander Povetkin not guilty of knowingly using prohibited drugs, and in December Alexander received the right to fight according to the WBC version, and in January the organization should return him to the rating. This is how the head of the World of Boxing, Andrei Ryabinsky, commented on this decision: “I promised that we would achieve justice for Sanya Povetkin. So: a few months ago we achieved an acquittal in all organizations except the WBC, and now the WBC sent us a letter today stating that Povetkin’s lifelong disqualification has been lifted. Starting from December 6, he can officially fight in the WBC, and from January he will be returned to the official ranking! Regarding meldonium, he was actually found innocent; regarding ostarine, it was recognized that ostarine was not taken intentionally (entered the body with a food additive). This is the first time in the history of boxing when a boxer gets out of such problems. In America or Europe, this would mean the definite end of a career. But we don’t abandon our own.”

Before his fight on December 15, 2020 against Christian Hammer, Alexander Povetkin was ranked second in the WBA ranking, sixth in the WBO ranking and eleventh in the IBF ranking. This fight in Yekaterinburg was very important for both boxers, since the winner could qualify for both the WBO title fight against the current champion, New Zealander Joseph Parker, and the WBA title fight against the British Anthony Joshua.

On December 15, 2020, Alexander confidently defeated German boxer of Romanian origin Christian Hammer (22-4, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision with scores of 120-107, 120-108 and 119-108. Povetkin was faster than his opponent and dictated the pace of the fight. Hammer was inactive, especially in the first half of the fight, spending rounds in tight defense or immediately moving into the clinch. In the second half of the fight, Hammer became more active and carried out several successful attacks, which did not affect the course of the fight. Alexander increased the pace in the final rounds, but was unable to translate his advantage into a knockdown or knockout. This victory earned Alexander Povetkin the status of mandatory challenger for the WBA Super heavyweight title, now held by Briton Anthony Joshua.

At the end of January 2020, Alexander Povetkin took first place in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) rankings, which took into account the boxers’ performances in December last year. Alexander Povetkin also took first place in the WBA ranking and actually became a mandatory challenger for the world title in two versions at once - WBA and WBO. He also improved his position in the IBF rankings, rising from eleventh to sixth place in December 2020.

In February 2020, Alexander Povetkin took fourth place in the updated World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings. In December 2017, the WBC overturned the disqualification of the Russian boxer and decided that he could enter the organization's rankings in January 2020. In the rating of The Ring magazine in February 2020, Alexander Povetkin took fourth place, and in the IBF rating - fifth. On March 31, 2018, Alexander Povetkin knocked out British boxer David Price in the fifth round in a fight in Cardiff (Wales) and retained his WBO International and WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight titles. Alexander Povetkin was faster than his two-meter opponent and knocked down Price in the third round, but at the end of this round the referee counted the knockdown to the Russian boxer. In the fifth round, Price, who had previously successfully defended himself from most of Povetkin’s attacks, missed two accurate and strong blows and ended up in a heavy knockout.

Thanks to this victory, Alexander Povetkin retained first places in the WBA and WBO rankings and got the opportunity to meet the winner of the unification championship fight Anthony Joshua - Joseph Parker in the second half of this year

At the beginning of April 2020, the WBA officially announced Alexander Povetkin as a mandatory challenger for the championship title and ordered the owner of this title, British Anthony Joshua, who also holds the IBF and WBO championship belts, to fight against the Russian boxer. On July 16, 2020, the date for the long-awaited Povetkin-Joshua fight was announced. On September 22, 2020, Alexander Povetkin, who held the WBA (Regular) title in 2011-2013, after several years of waiting and enormous efforts by the athlete himself and his team, went to fight for four championship titles WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO against their owner, the British Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs).

The meeting of the two Olympic champions aroused great interest, and many experts, including British ones, predicted that the champion would face a very difficult fight.

And the beginning of the battle justified these predictions. The Russian started the fight well and even controlled the first rounds. The champion showed caution and patience and by the middle of the fight he managed to adapt and partially neutralize his opponent’s strengths. In the seventh round, Joshua shook the Russian with a strong and accurate blow and, after a further attack, knocked him down. Povetkin managed to get up, but the champion did not miss his chance, and soon the referee stopped the fight, recording Joshua's victory by technical knockout.

After the fight, most observers noted that the fight turned out to be very interesting and spectacular and paid tribute to both boxers. And the head of the World of Boxing, Andrei Ryabinsky, said that the decision on the future career of Alexander Povetkin will be made later.

“Sanya fought to the end. He showed character, there are no complaints about him. This is boxing. Today Sasha lost, Anthony turned out to be stronger, we congratulate him on this, and we ourselves will think about what to do next. The fight was great!” said Ryabinsky.

Childhood and amateur career

Alexander Povetkin is from Kursk. He was born on September 2, 1979. As a child, he was a very thin and weak boy. That is why Sasha’s parents, primarily his father, insisted that their son take up sports. And as such they chose wushu, karate and only then boxing. As Alexander himself later said, he trained so that no one at school could beat him.

The first successes were not long in coming. Already at the age of 16 (1995), Povetkin won the Russian Youth Championship. And in 2001, Alexander already made his debut for the main national team at the World Championships in Northern Ireland. True, he only managed to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to boxer from Ukraine Alexey Mazykin. But already in the same year he took revenge at the Goodwill Games, winning gold in the tournament.

The main achievement in Alexander Povetkin’s amateur career is, of course, the victory at the Olympic Games in Finland (2004). Interestingly, the Russian athlete won the final fight without even entering the ring. His opponent, Egyptian Muhammad Ali, injured his hand before the fight and was unable to continue the competition.