By Luke Furman

WBA "regular" heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (23-0, 16 KOs) has retained the services of Jason Gavern (21-9-4, 10 KOs) as a key sparring partner for the upcoming defense on February 25 against WBO cruiserweight king Marco Huck (34-1, 25 KOs). Povetkin's team believe Gavern can imitate the style of Huck quite well, including some rule-bending tactics inside the ring. The two of them should start sparring very soon in Povetkin's camp in Russia, where Gavern has already arrived.