HELENIUS TKO9 LIAKHOVICH; POVETKIN W12 CHAGAEV

After the disappointment of Klitschko against Haye it was good to be reminded that the heavyweights can provide entertaining fights, with Alexander Povetkin outpointing Ruslan Chagaev and Robert Helenius stopping Siarhei Liakhovich on Saturday’s big show in Germany.
 
Although Povetkin won a world title, he was workmanlike rather than exciting. Helenius provided the big hitting as the 6ft 6ins “Nordic Nightmare” hammered a very tough and game Liakhovich into defeat in the ninth round.
 
While Helenius looked easy to hit, he dished out impressive damage and came through a fight that tested his resolve. Liakhovich was aggressive and determined and fought his best fight in years. The 35-year-old from Belarus (but based in Arizona) banged the body and landed some good left hooks. Helenius showed that he can take a punch, though, and his steady application of the left jab helped to break down Liakhovich, whose nose was streaming blood from the third round.
 
I liked Helenius’s coolness under pressure. Liakhovich gave it a great try and I think that some heavyweights might have folded under the onslaught. Helenius, though, has mental and physical toughness, and I think he is stronger than his somewhat undefined physique suggests — it isn’t easy to push him back.
 
Helenius showed good hand speed, and although we think of him as being a big right-hand hitter his hooks and uppercuts with the left were taking a toll on Liakhovich.
 
Once Helenius started backing up Liakhovich the fight was essentially over. A brave rally in the sixth round was Liakhovich’s last stand. Helenius was unhurried in his advance, placing punches accurately rather than just letting his hands fly. Beaten to the canvas and saved by the bell in the eighth, I thought that Liakhovich could have spared from taking the left-hand blasts that had him out on his feet in the ninth. Helenius isn’t ready for the Klitschko brothers but he has to be taken seriously.
 
Povetkin showed character in coming back from a rocky sixth round to defeat Chagaev on a widely scored, unanimous decision. The Russian Olympic gold medallist fought intelligently, getting off with combinations and moving around the slower Chagaev. The fight always held the interest because Chagaev was dangerous with the left hand from his southpaw stance — indeed, he landed the left so hard and often in the sixth round that I thought the fight might be turning. Povetkin recovered his composure quickly, however, and Chagaev wasn’t able to maintain the impressive form of the sixth round.
 
Povetkin’s hand speed and movement were too much for Chagaev. Apart from the big sixth round, Chagaev just couldn’t seem to get going. Povetkin followed trainer Teddy Atlas’s strategy of scoring in spurts and moving around Chagaev before Chagaev could fire back. Povetkin doesn’t have Klitschko-type firepower but his left uppercuts through the middle seemed to be jolting Chagaev. To me, Chagaev looked as if he could never quite figure out Povetkin, and the Russian heavyweight simply kept winning the rounds although it was never an easy fight for him.
 
One senses that the Povetkin camp isn’t eager for a match against one of the Klitschko brothers — Atlas pointedly refused to discuss the Klitschkos in the post-fight interview. I don’t think that a fight with either Wladimir or Vitali would be winnable for Povetkin, who seems likely to make his first title defence against Evander Holyfield, who was a ringside guest of promoter Wilfried Sauerland. Although Holyfield is 48 he still looks as superbly built as ever, and with his vast boxing knowledge he might be able to put up a good fight against the relatively inexperienced Povetkin.
 
Although I enjoyed the heavyweight fights, the most action-packed bout of the weekend was the 105-pound title fight in Guadalajara that saw underdog Moises Fuentes battle his way to an upset, split decision win over Raul Garcia in an all-Mexican war.  Fuentes fought from the opening round with blood coming from his nose but he wouldn’t be denied, hurting the older Garcia to the body and firing right hands and hooks to the head. Garcia landed heavy blows from his southpaw stance but often missed wildly. Each man suffered a knockdown but it was Fuentes who generally seemed to be in control of this fast and furious fight. As hard as Garcia fought, Fuentes was always coming right back at him. Fuentes needed to fight as he had never fought before to pull off the upset — and he reached the level he needed to reach.