Tweet
WBA President Mendoza says winner of Povetkin vs. Price fight will be mandatory in next fight unless it's a Unification with Wilder:
HITHARDNEWS
WBA Confirm Povetkin v Price Winner Will Be Mandatory For Joshua, Joshua v Povetkin Mooted For Moscow
By Ben Blackwell - March 29, 2018
The World Boxing Association has confirmed that the winner of this weekend’s upcoming heavyweight clash between WBA #1 ranked heavyweight Alexander Povetkin and Liverpool’s David Price, will be installed as mandatory for the winner of Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker. The respective heavyweight duels all take place under the roof of the principality stadium in Cardiff live on Sky Sports Box Office.
WBA president, Gilberto Mendoza, has confirmed today in Cardiff that the winner of Povetkin v Price will indeed be mandated to face the holder of the WBA world “super” title, indicating that he will try to enforce the bout next. However, that is much easier said than done with much speculation regarding a unification between Joshua and WBC world titleholder, Deontay Wilder.
The WBA president has conceded that he would permit a Joshua v Wilder unification if Joshua is successful in defeating Parker this upcoming Saturday. Mendoza admits that “I can’t close the doors” on a bout between Joshua & Wilder, due to all the belts being on the line if the scripts all go to plan and creating a bout for the undisputed world heavyweight championship.
Despite this Mendoza, speaking to Sky Sports, said overall that Joshua v Povetkin is a good fight worthy of the WBA strap.
“[Joshua vs Povetkin] is supposed to be the next fight. It should be,” WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told Sky Sports.
“You also have to understand that Joshua is big for the sport, and we would have to think about a unification fight, but regularly Povetkin should be his next opponent.
“I can’t close the doors but we will try to enforce [Povetkin] as much as we can because we feel that’s a good fight.
“There are always special circumstances that mean you must look fight-by-fight. But Povetkin was already rated, he has spoken to [promoter Hearn]. The styles of Joshua and Povetkin would make a good fight in England or Russia.”
Furthermore, it has been quoted today of a possibility that if Joshua was to fight Povetkin (if successful against Price and vice-versa for Joshua v Parker), that the fight could be held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow which holds 81,000. It is a possibility and not a certainty that the contest would be held there, however, the Russian’s are confident of securing the funds to get Joshua on a plane to fight in the Russian capital.
Vadim Kornilov who now is the head of promotional outfit World of Boxing who promote Povetkin, is confident that funds can be secured for the bout saying it will be a big fight in Russia. However, he did concede that a bout with Joshua in the UK cannot be ruled out due to magnitude surrounding Joshua in the UK.
“I think it would be comparable,” he said. “[Wladimir] Klitschko was paid almost £20m to fight Povetkin so anything can be generated. This has that type of magnitude.
“It would, depending on the timing, fill up the new [81,000 seater] Luzhniki Stadium – a football stadium. That’s a location with enough magnitude for this type of fight.
“It would be a huge fight in Russia but, after speaking to Eddie, it would be a huge fight in [the UK] too because there is a big Russian community. Anywhere is a possibility.”
Comment