Povetkin vs Rahman results: Povetkin wins shameful mismatch in second round

Alexander Povetkin wasn't expected to meet any resistance against Hasim Rahman today in Germany, and he didn't. But as happens so often with boxing's shameful, sanctioning body-support mismatch main events, actually seeing it happen was a lot worse than just imagining the fight on paper beforehand.

Povetkin (25-0, 17 KO) won a second round TKO with a stoppage that should have come before it did, as referee Gustavo Padilla stared at Povetkin unloading against a helpless, immobile Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KO), who stood with his back on the ropes, leaning on them, waiting for the referee to end the night.

At one point, it appeared Padilla was stepping in to stop the assault, but instead the referee was simply breaking them and restarting the action for no reason. From there, Rahman held himself up with his right arm over the top rope, and Povetkin landed a couple freebies with his left hand, prompting Padilla to, eventually, decide that, yes, this fight should be stopped.

This was sad, pathetic, and embarrassing. Rahman, 39, could barely get down the steps on his way to the ring, and looked shot before he even got into the ring. Povetkin, now 33, didn't do anything today to raise his stock. He beat up an old man who shouldn't have been there.

Most of all, the WBA should feel truly ashamed. Their nonsensical forcing of Rahman into a mandatory challenger's position is the reason this happened at all. This was not a fight. It served no purpose. Povetkin now needs to do something significant, if only as almost an apology for this farcical stinker.

More results from Germany:

• Kubrat Pulev TKO-11 Alexander Ustinov
• Jack Culcay TKO-5 Mark Thompson