Undefeated Alexander Povetkin retained his WBA heavyweight belt with a much tougher than anticipated points win over WBO cruiserweight champ Marco Huck. Povetkin looked good early but tired as the fight wore on and was almost out on his feet when the bell rang to end the twelfth and final round. Povetkin won an Olympic gold medal in 2004 but after this fight it's easy to see why former trainer Teddy Atlas kept him away from the Klitschkos ... he would've been destroyed. Despite giving up 20 pounds, Puck rocked Povetkin with right hands on a number of occasions and looked like he did enough to earn the decision. The judges, however, scored the bout for Povetkin 116-113, 116-112 and 114-114 even.
Huck looked comfortable as a heavyweight and deserves a rematch, but the WBA - in its infinite wisdom - has installed former champ Hasim Rahman as Povetkin's next mandatory defense. How did Rahman 'earn' that position? Good question. The 39-year-old Rahman hasn't faced a world class opponent since being stopped by Wladimir Klitschko in 2008 and really hasn't won a meaningful bout since knocking out Lennox Lewis to win the heavyweight title in 2001!
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