By James Slater: The World Boxing Association (WBA) held a meeting yesterday in Panama, Fightnews.com reports, and during the meeting it was decided that the winner of the upcoming, Feb. 25th clash between “Regular” WBA heavyweight titlist Alexander Povetkin and challenger Marco Huck must face former world heavyweight king Hasim Rahman next – within a period not to exceed 120-days.
39-year-old Rahman, 50-7-2(41) overall and winner of his last five (against limited opposition it must be said), was deeply angered when Povetkin – who had already had one voluntary defence, against 42-year-old Cedric Boswell – signed to fight the long-reigning WBO cruiserweight champ next instead of him, Povetkin’s mandatory challenger. But now, without having had to go to court, “Rock” can rest assured he will get his shot.
But will fans be in a rush of excitement over this fight, which will happen around the end of June? Rahman can still bang with his famous right hand (the one that KO’d Lennox Lewis an age ago) and he will always have a puncher’s chance (especially if he faces Huck, a man so much naturally smaller than he is), but he has fought whilst much overweight recently and his hunger and desire have been questioned. In the opinion of most fans, whether he winds up facing Povetkin or Huck, either guy will just have too much youth, zest and ambition for ageing lion Rahman.
For what it’s worth, I think once-beaten Huck will take the all but meaningless belt (in the opinion of nearly all fans who post on this web site, Povetkin’s bauble is all but meaningless anyway) by way of a tough points win in a good, absorbing fight. “Kap’n’” Huck has stated he will look to take on “the brothers” after he’s beaten the Russian star – meaning of course, the Klitschko brothers who hold all major belts at heavyweight – but he will have to accommodate puncher Rahman first.
It’s not clear where either a Povetkin-Rahman or Huck-Rahman fight would take place, but I’m guessing “Rock” will have to travel to Germany. When he last fought there, in December of 2008, a slow-looking Rahman was easily defeated via 7th-round stoppage by Wladimir Klitschko.
Few would have thought the Baltimore man would still be fighting here in 2012; much less that he’d be on the verge of a crack at a title.