By Rick Reeno

Consider yourself lucky if you didn't watch Alexander Povetkin's recent knockout of American-based Taurus Sykes (25-5, 7KOs) at the Olimpyskiy Sports Palace in Chekhov. Povetkin (16-0, 12KOs) knocked him out, with little effort, in the fourth-round. Sykes was brought in by Sauerland Event to provide Povetkin with some work to prepare their fighter for the fall bout with IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

After the first-round, Sykes appeared to be in survival mode and looking for a way out. Povetkin is not a big puncher and he sent Sykes backwards from punches that barely connected. The third-round saw Sykes go down from a slip while trying to duck low and rush Povetkin. He looked at the ref to begin a count, but the ref ruled it a slip and told Sykes to get up. Sykes just sat there and ref took it upon himself to assist Sykes to his feet.

At the end of the third, Sykes went back to his corner and tried to get his own trainer to end the fight by telling him - "I can't do it." His corner would not throw in the towel and sent him out for the fourth. Within a blink of an eye, Povetkin threw 2-3 punches that were not clean and then you could clearly see him push Sykes down, who at that point took it upon himself to remain on the floor while the ref counted him out.

Promoter Lou DiBella was trying to match Povetkin with Israel Garcia (19-1, 11KOs). According to DiBella, Sauerland was being very cheap with the money, and were only offering $45-50,000 for the fight. Once source estimates that Sykes was paid between $35-45K.

"That fight was a disgrace to boxing. It was a disgrace. It looked like a fixed fight, although it wasn't. I tried to put Israel Garcia in there. I only wanted $75,000 and Sauerland refused to go above $50,000," DiBella said. "Instead they get Taurus Sykes, who only went there to take a check. He was looking to quit from a slip. That's what Sauerland gets for being cheap. The kid wasn't being paid a lot of money so he probably thought 'why take a chance and get hurt,' so he went down. They shouldn't even let Povetkin fight for a title after a disgrace like that."