Povetkin Pulls Out, Wladimir Klitschko to Rematch Sam Peter

An abrupt pull out by top heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin has forced Wladimir Klitschko to look to old opponent Samuel Peter as a replacement.

The news broke yesterday on ESPN that Povetkin is withdrawing from the WBO and IBF title bout due unresolved contract disputes. The rumors of issues began last week when Povetkin, who is training in New Jersey with Teddy Atlas, failed to make the trip overseas Germany to attend a Monday (July 19) press conference with Klitschko. The fight was scheduled for September 11.

“It total, there were 12 disagreements, and they were insurmountable,” said Povetkin manager Vladimir Khryunov.

One of the issues was allegedly Klitschko’s refusal to provide insurance for Povetkin in the contract. Povetkin’s promoter Wilfried Sauerland didn’t elaborate on this, but cryptically framed the contact as completely unfair to his client.

“No wonder Alexander Povetkin did not sign the contact,” he told Boxing Scene. “It was one of the wordst that I’ve seen in 35 years. A slave contract.”

This is Povetkin’s second pullout. In 2008, he withdrew from a Klitschko fight after suffering an ankle injury. Povetkin has been the #1 and mandatory challenger for Klitschko since that time.

With limited options, Klitschko’s team has begun negotiations for a rematch with American Samuel Peter. The fighters last met in 2005, when Klitschko won a unanimous decision despite suffering three knockdowns.

Peter also lost to Vitali Klitschko in 2008, where he was dominated and retired on his stool in the 8th round. He would also lose a majority decision in his next bout against Eddie Chambers in 2009.

The 29-year-old Peter has been a rebuilding phase since then, winning three consecutive bouts against nondescript opposition. His manager Ivaylo Gotzev believes Peter is now ready to make another run at the elite fighters.

“You have an exciting matchup that has already proven to be a competitive one. I still get people asking me how Samuel lost when he knocked the guy down three times,” he told ESPN. “We are going to finish what we started in September 2005. This year, it will be a September to remember.”

If finalized, Klitschko-Peter II will be for the IBF heavyweight title.

Wladimir Klitschko’s last fight was in March, where he knocked out Eddie Chambers.

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Even if you’re not the biggest Wladimir Klitschko fan, you have to be sympathetic to what he’s gone through regarding opponents.

An anticipated showdown with David Haye fell apart last summer due to Haye suffering a back injury. The #1 undefeated and mandatory challenger in Alexander Povetkin has pulled out on him twice. The first time seems legit, but this second occurence is highly unprofessional.

Povetkin claimed last week that he couldn’t make the press conference trip due to a bad sinus infection. Yet Povetkin was on national TV last Friday (July 16) attending Zab Judah’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights card in Newark, New Jersey. And after all the preparation, his trainer Teddy Atlas comes out earlier this week and says Povetkin still needs more work before facing Klitschko.

Understandably, the alternate is the best Wladimir can do at this time. But the young, fresh Peter fans remember before his 2005 Klitschko fight appears to be long gone. Check out his last fight against Nady Aguilera in March.

He used his jab in spots, but it was mostly in a flicking manner which Wladimir would counter hard (as Vitali did). Unless he can get in some lucky looping shots and improve his head movement, I expect Wladimir to administer a slow but methodical beating for a late stoppage.

It appears HBO may have had some foresight in deciding to drop their heavyweight coverage.