"It was tough fight against a very experienced opponent but I am pleased with my performance," said unbeaten heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin after his shutout decision over Larry Donald, which spelled his 13th win in as many bouts. "I don´t know how long it will take me to get a title fight but I am definitely ready." Co-manager Wilfried Sauerland was full of praise for the 2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist. "That was a great performance by Alexander," he lauded. "He dominated his experienced opponent and won every single round. He also showed that he is capable of going the full ten rounds even though it was an exhausting battle. He did not take many shots but hit Donald very often.....after this strong performance Alexander will find himself in the top ten in all the world rankings," Sauerland added. "A title fight it not far away."

Alexander Povetkin 225.5 vs Larry Donald 245.5
Dmitry Kirillov 115 vs Kakhramon Arzykulov ???
(Vacant IBF super flyweight title)*
Henry Akinwande 245 vs Andrey Oleynik 234**
Vitaly Tsypko 167.5 vs Maxim Goloviznin 164
Vladimir Povetkin 182 vs Hose El Howly 186.25
Lukasz Janick 194.75 vs Makhmud Atadzanov 180
Karo Murat 172 vs Sergey Botnikov 166½
Dzhimi Kapanov 185 vs Alexander Romashko 179½

Unbeaten heavyweight hopeful Alexander Povetkin and American veteran Larry Donald visited Red Square yesterday following their official press conference in Moscow. The 2004 Olympic gold medal winner is looking forward to the biggest challenge of his career: "I am excited to fight a strong man such as Donald in front of my home fans," the 27-year-old said ahead of the clash on June 30. Povetkin (12-0, 10 KOs) has set his sights on the 13th win in as many fights, while 40-year-old Donald (42-4, 24 KOs) is eager to put himself back in line for a shot at the world title. The American last fought in October 2005 when he lost a WBA title eliminator against Nikolai Valuev. The fight will be televised in over 25 countries.

A huge undercard, featuring two world-class fights and a bunch of talented youngsters, was announced yesterday by the organizers of “The Boxing Show 2”. Headlining preliminary part of the show is a rematch between up and coming Ukrainian heavyweight Oleg Platov (25-1, 21 KO) and tough Nigerian veteran Henry Akinwande (49-3-1, 30 KO) for Oleg’s IBF intercontinental title. Platov, 24, is ranked #14 by the IBF and #15 by the WBC. Akinwande, 41, is a former WBO champion, known for his wins over Orlin Norris, Axel Schultz, Timo Hoffmann and other formidable opponents. Platov defeated Akinwande via debatable split decision last November to acquire his minor belt.

Russian heavyweight hope Alexander Povetkin (12-0, 10 KOs), WBC #10 in the most popular division, will now face Larry 'The Legend' Donald (42-4-3, 24 KOs) on June, 30, at 'Olympiyski' Sports Palace, Moscow. It was officially announced today that Donald would replace Monte Barrett as Povetkin's next foe. "It's not unusual in boxing that one of the opponents is suddenly taken out of the bout shortly prior the fight", says Povetkin's co-manager Vladimir Hrunov. "There are some important circumstances, which don't allow Monte to fight Alexander on June, 30. But Larry Donald is definitely no way easier than Barrett. He possesses an extremely vast experience in the ring and he is really tough. This fight will be a huge test for Sasha, the biggest in his career. It will answer many questions regarded his skills and his future."

IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (23-0, 18 KOs) is back. "King Arthur" showed no effects from the broken jaw suffered in his previous fight as he knocked out previously unbeaten Sebastien Demers (20-1, 9 KOs) in round three on Saturday night at the JAKO Arena in Bamberg, Germany. In a bout that started after midnight due to network coverage of a major soccer match, Abraham went right to work beating Demers to the punch with good combinations to the head and body. Abraham finally dropped Demers with a brutal assault in round three and referee Ernest Sharif stopped it at 2:57.

Unbeaten 2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Alexander Povetkin (11-0, 9 KOs) of Russia will face Canadian Patrice L´Heureux (20-3, 12 KOs) on the big May 26 Sauerland Event card in Bamberg featuring Arthur Abraham and Marco Huck in separate fights. The following month in Moscow, Povetkin is scheduled for the biggest fight of his career against former world title challenger Monte Barrett.

Thanks to his extremely successful outing versus usually tough American David Bostice (TKO 2), Alexander Povetkin (11-0, 9 KOs), who is already ranked #16 by the WBC, will elevate his status from the featured figure of the evening to its main star. According to Povetkin’s manager Vladimir Hrunov, Russian Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist (Athens 2004) will now headline a huge show, promoted by Sauerland Event on May, 5, in Berlin, Germany.

In boxing, it's not always the fight that is the biggest challenge. Just ask Alexander Povetkin (10-0, 8 KOs). The 2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist has had a hard time finding opponents.