Lennox Lewis Previews Povetkin vs Chagaev, Plus Povetkin Interview
Live world championship boxing returns to EPIX when undefeated 2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist ALEXANDER POVETKIN (21-0, 15 KOs), of Russia, and former World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion RUSLAN CHAGAEV (27-1-1, 17 KOs), a native of Ukraine who fights out of Berlin, Germany, square-off for the vacant WBA heavyweight title, This Saturday August 27th.
The battle between the two highest world-ratent service. EpixHD.com will stream the fight live as part of a free two-week trial offer. The live broadcast and the live stream on EPIX and EpixHD.com, respectively, will begin with the main event at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.
The following are Lennox Lewis’s commend heavyweight contenders will be televised live in the U.S. exclusively on EPIX, the multiplatform premium entertainmets from the Media Call:
Lennox Lewis: I think it’s going to be a scrappy fight. You’ve got two guys that love to throw punches and they’re definitely going to be throwing a lot of leather in there. And they’re similar size, similar age, so you should get a really exciting fight out of them.
Lewis Lennox: Povetkin has a good motion. He’s strong. He’s very gamy. And he’s going to be making a good fight of it. He also, just to tell everybody, because my birthday is coming out. His break is coming up. And we actually share the same birthday. So that’s pretty exciting. I’m very interested in seeing this fight and the improvement Povetkin has gone through with Teddy’s tutelage.
***Povetkin: “I´m ready for Chagaev” – Helenius eyes KO hat-trick of former champs***
Alexander Povetkin (21-0, 15 KOs) is ready for the biggest fight of his career. The 2004 Olympic gold medal winner takes on Ruslan Chagaev (27-1-1, 17 KOs) for the vacant WBA Heavyweight Title in Erfurt, Germany on Saturday night. In the co-featured main event, WBA/WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion Robert Helenius (15-0, 10 KOs) will be out to complete his KO hat-trick of former heavyweight champions. After stopping Lamon Brewster and Samuel Peter, the Nordic Nightmare comes face-to-face with Siarhei Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KOs). “This is going to be an unforgettable night of heavyweight boxing,” promoter Kalle Sauerland said at today´s press conference. “We have four potential heavyweight champions in the two main events. That´s about as good as it gets. Alexander Povetkin can finally crown his impressive career with a victory over Chagaev, who is an experienced and accomplished former champion. But Povetkin is younger, faster and stronger. I expect him to win, just as I expect our Scandinavian heavyweight sensation Robert Helenius to knock out the third ex-heavyweight champion in a row to continue his march to the top.”
Povetkin cannot wait to get down to business. “I am ready,” he said. “I have waited for this moment for a long time. I have a lot of respect for Chagaev. But we have developed a very good game plan.” Added coach Teddy Atlas: “Chagaev knows what it is like to be champion and he also knows what it´s like not to be champion anymore. He can do it all inside the ring but we are here with a good game plan and we are here to execute the game plan.”
Chagaev, who in April 2007 became the first man to defeat then-WBA Heavyweight Champion Nikolai Valuev, also voiced his confidence. “I have been dreaming to win back my old title for a long time,” he stated. “Alexander is a strong opponent. I have trained very hard for this big chance and I will make the most of it.”
Meanwhile, Helenius has set his sights on his 16th victory in as many fights. “The preparation has gone very well. Back home everybody asks me when I will be fighting the Klitschkos, but first things first, all my focus is on Liakhovich,” he stated. The White Wolf believes he will end the Nordic Nightmare´s unbeaten run. “It was me who picked Helenius, not the other way round. I will surprise a lot of people on Saturday night.”