Whatchagonnado: Deontay Wilder – Alexander Povetkin is On and Popping!

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By Roy “Sharpshooter” Bennett

From Russia With Love

Deontay Wilder Vs Alexander Povetkin is a go. Did I mention it will be in Russia? But unlike the James Bond movie there ain’t gonna be no love in Red Square for the American WBC heavyweight belt holder. Why? Well, let’s just say some of Povetkin’s fans can only be described as an, “undesirable element.” I’m not saying there may be a football hooligan element among them but…there may be a football hooligan element among them. When the Russian fought Carlos Takam they turned the arena into an intimidating cauldron of partisan fervor, banging big drums and chanting in a way which made them sound they like they were straining at the leash to get their hands on Takam – should he have the audacity to win – and rip him limb from limb.

This fight is going to be like a reenactment of the Cold War hostilities between the U.S. and the old Soviet Union. It’s not quite Apollo Creed versus Ivan Drago but it’s pretty damn close. And should Wilder lose it might take American heavyweight boxing years to recover. And if he should win? He makes a fan out me – the “Sharpshooter” – who has been one of his biggest critics. Hey. Sometimes it’s like that. A guy who you found every reason to criticize wins you over. Back in the day it was Hector Camacho who stuck in my craw and made me kick the wife in bed at night. But the man fought everybody and never ducked a challenge and I became one of Macho’s biggest fans. I won’t hear a bad word said against him. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. Hector “Macho” Camacho is off limits unless you’ve got something good to say. Yeah. It’s like that.

The Jackal

Speaking of Russia, Guillermo Rigondeaux set up camp there to train for his upcoming March 12th fight with somebody named Jezza Dickens in Liverpool, England. But now he’s stuck there. The word on the street corner is that the Cuban maestro is having problems getting his visa for travel to the UK sorted out and may end up having to miss the fight altogether. SMH. Rigondeaux can’t seem to catch a break nowadays and his career – once so full of promise – is slowly dying on the vine. The top boxers at 122 lbs want absolutely nothing to do with him, a proposed fight with Vasyl Lomachenko fell through, and now he’s having visa problems. Let’s hope this visa shit gets cleared up in time for him to proceed with the fight against Dickens. If not then one has to wonder how much upside a 35 year old super bantamweight with a so called “boring” style – who has essentially been frozen out of any meaningful fights at the weight – has left.

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