Povetkin's Promoter: Match With Deontay Wilder is 50-50 Fight

By Yuri Tarantin

According to Andrei Ryabinsky, promoter for Olympic gold medal winner and former WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin, the upcoming mandatory clash with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is a 50-50 fight.

Ryabinsky, is planning to stage the fight on May 21 in Moscow, Russia. He secured the promotional rights by winning last month's WBC purse bid with a submitted amount of $7.1 million.

Wilder has made three successful defenses of the title since winning it last January with a twelve round decision over Bermane Stiverne. This past January at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Wilder knocked out Artur Szpilka in nine rounds. Povetkin and Ryabinsky traveled over to sit ringside and watch Wilder live.

Ryabinsky is not really going to make money on the event. He overbid to get the fight to Russia, so Povetkin had a much better chance to win the fight.

"If for me it was also a business project. If I wanted to earn money, then perhaps the fight would be held in the United States," explained Ryabinsky. 

"But for me it is not necessary to [go in the direction of staging it in the United States]. I decided to win these bids to establish the right conditions under which the probability of Alexander's victory will be very high. My task is completed, the battle will take place in Russia, and now everything depends on Povetkin, because that's what it comes down to - what happenes in the ring. Alexander is a conscientious and smart man with a strong character, so he will do everything possible to win. And whether he wins or doesn't win - we'll see. The opponent is very strong. I believe the outcome is exactly fifty-fifty."

Wilder has an unbeaten record of 36 wins (35 by KO), and Povetkin has 30 wins (22 by KO) and one defeat.