MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. Russian heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin has been ranked number six in the Top-10 of world’s best heavyweight boxers by the respected US boxing magazine The Ring.
"The Ring Magazine first introduced its divisional ratings in 1925 and 95 years later they’re still going strong. It is no exaggeration to claim that these independent rankings are the most respected and accurate in world boxing today," according to the sports magazine.
"During the past few weeks, the sport of boxing, like the rest of us, has been on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic," The Ring reported. "It therefore makes sense for The Ring to use this time to revisit each and every division, analyze the fighters who are ranked and predict what they’re likely to do in the future."
Povetkin fought last time in December 2019 against US heavyweight Michael ‘The Bounty’ Hunter. Povetkin and Hunter fought to a draw on December 7, 2019 in Saudi Arabia in the WBA (the World Boxing Association) Heavyweight Title Eliminator bout. The judges’ scorecards read 115-113 for Povetkin, 115-113 for Hunter and 114-114.
Povetkin celebrated his 40th birthday on September 2, 2019, two days after his win over Britain’s Hughie Fury. Late last year, Povetkin underwent a surgery on his elbows and then he announced that he was "not thinking about wrapping up his sports career."
The first place in the Top-10 Ranking List of The Ring is shared by Britain’s Tyson Fury and his compatriot Anthony Joshua. The rest of the Top-10 heavyweights is as follows: 2. Dillian Whyte (Jamaica); 3. Deontay Wilder (the United States); 4. Luis Ortiz (Cuba); 5. Andy Ruiz Jr. (the United States); 6. Alexander Povetkin (Russia); 7. Joseph Parker (New Zealand); 8. Michael Hunter (the United States); 9. Oscar Rivas (Colombia); 10. Kubrat Pulev (Bulgaria).
In late May, various sports media reported that a mandatory challenge bout for the World Boxing Council (WBC) belt between Russian heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin and Britain’s Dillian Whyte would be organized either on August 8 or 15 without spectators in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Povetkin-Whyte bout was initially scheduled to be held on May 2 in Manchester. However, the fight was postponed indefinitely because of the ongoing global spread of the novel coronavirus.
Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte, 31, has a personal record of 27 wins (18 by KOs) and one defeat throughout his professional boxing career.
Povetkin is known to the fans as the ‘Russian Vityaz,’ and boasts a personal record of 35 wins (24 KOs), two defeats and one draw throughout his career. The Russian boxer also won the gold at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.
COVID-19
In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 8,130,600 people have been infected worldwide and more than 439,400 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 4,244,800 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.
To date, 545,458 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 294,306 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 7,284 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.