Boxing: Povetkin retains WBA title

HAMBURG: Russia’s Alexander Povetkin retained his WBA world heavyweight title with a second-round stoppage of former world champion Hasim Rahman of the US. Povetkin, 33, extended his undefeated record to 25 fights with 18 victories coming inside the distance. The 39-year-old Rahman, who famously relieved Britain’s Lennox Lewis of his world titles in 2001, fell to his eighth career defeat against 41 wins and two draws. Povetkin defeated Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaeva in 2008 to win the WBA belt and had already defended it with wins over Cedric Boswell and Marco Huck before Saturday’s comfortable win.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2012.