WBA heavyweight champion Aleksandr Povetkin has successfully defended his title after knocking out US challenger Cedric Boswell.
Povetkin was never in danger during the bout in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. The Russian was the more active man in the ring, increasing his pressure on Boswell with every round.
The American tried to counter-attack, but was forced to pay a lot more attention to defense, with the clinch being his only salvation on most occasions.
In the seventh round Boswell was only saved by the bell, but in the next round Povetkin started his offensive a little earlier.
The Russian Knight trapped his opponent in the corner, with the American collapsing to the floor after taking several heavy punches to the head.
“I was boxing a bit in the wrong manner in the opening rounds. I felt constrained,” Povetkin said after the fight. “Boswell was moving well and I was looking for one or two heavy blows, instead of pressing and hitting him constantly. But when I started doing this it all worked out.”
The Russian was once against asked when he’s going to step into the ring against one of the Klitschko brothers.
“I really want this fight to happen,” he said. “In any case it’ll be a good lesson for me, because the Ukrainians are great athletes.”
It was Povetkin’s first title defense and the 32-year-old remains unbeaten in his 23 professional bouts, which include 16 KOs.