By Alexey Sukachev

Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany - Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17KOs) stopped former two-time beltholder and mandatory challenger Hasim Rahman (50-8-2, 41KOs) in two rounds of action to retain the WBA "regular" heavyweight championship.

After a slow first round, Povetkin let his hands go in the second round and gave Rahman a beating. As expected, Rahman was quickly wobbled and took a beating against the ropes as Povetkin put together combinations and unleashed punishment. Rahman was using the ropes to keep himself up and the referee gave Rahman every possible opportunity to get himself out of trouble. After a few more landed shots, the ref jumped in and stopped the fight - as Rahman's corner appeared to be on steps with the towel in hand.

Rahman, at this point, has nothing left in the tank and he should really consider retirement. The WBA forced this mismatch and Povetkin should not be placed at fault as he was threatened by the sanctioning body to meet his mandatory obligation.