Povetkin vs Huck: Sauerland Admits Risk In Facing Marco Huck

Alexander Povetkin has been an interesting and frustrating fighter. He caught most people's interest when he beat both Chris Byrd and Eddie Chambers in an IBF title elimination tournament ending in 2008. At this point Povetkin proceeded to sit on his mandatory against Wladimir Klitschko claiming that he was not ready. Povetkin proceeded to face poor competition over the past couple of years with maybe the exception of Ruslan Chagaev. During this period, his part-time trainer Teddy Atlas would constantly deflect questions about the Klitschko brothers. Now Povetkin faces a big challenge against WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck on February 25th. According to Alexander Pavlov of Boxing Scene and Sportbox.ru, Kalle Sauerland is worried about a potential loss.

"Let's just say that Povetkin has a goal - which is a fight with [Wladimir] Klitschko. A loss to Huck can be a huge step back for him. However, it is also very important for us to make good fights. You can not approach the matter from this point of view - 'I do not want to fight, because it is too risky.' In our business, the risk is necessary and inevitable. And Povetkin and Huck are both great athletes who want to show that they are the best and they want to win. They want to make boxing history, and I think on February 25th we are going to see a great fight," Sauerland said.

This fight is considerably less risky for Marco Huck. If he loses the fight, he would still retain the WBO belt if he chooses to go back down to the cruiserweight division. I like this fight because of two big unknowns concerning each fight. It is unknown how Huck will perform at a higher weightclass and it is unknown how Povetkin will do without Teddy's crazy corner talks. Here's hoping that giant question mark will lead to a fun scrap between these two fighters.