Povetkin Drills Perez In One, Earns Wilder Title Shot

By Jake Donovan

Alexander Povetkin needed just 91 seconds to plead his case for another title shot, twice dropping Mike Perez en route to a 1st round knockout Friday evening in Moscow, Russia. 

With the win, Povetkin is now the mandatory challenger to unbeaten heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder. 

The damage was sudden as the action was brief, with Povetkin first hurting Perez with a right hand to the temple roughly one minute into the fight. Perez, who never landed a significant punch on the evening, was dazed and ripe for the taking. A follow-up shot from Povetkin put the Ireland-based Cuban southpaw flat on his back.

In reviewing the fight down the road, referee Massimo Barrovecchio will certainly wonder why he ever allowed the clash to continue. Perez barely staggered to his feet, but clearly unaware of his surroundings as the third man declared him fit for combat. Povetkin wasted no time in moving in for the kill, landing a left to send Perez into the ropes and crashing to the canvas.

This time, it was enough to prompt a much-needed stoppage, coming at 1:31 of round one. 

Povetkin (29-1, 20KOs) has now scored three straight wins—all by knockout—as he moves towards another crack at a major title. The Russian heavyweight saw his previous reign of a secondary title come to a close with the lone loss of his career, a 12-round decison at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko in Oct. '13. 

With Friday's win, he will now keep a keen eye on Wilder's scheduled homecoming versus Eric Molina on June 13 in Birmingham, Alabama. 

As for Perez, it likely puts an end to any chance of the underachieving heavyweight being taken seriously in boxing's most storied decision. The loss puts his mark at 21-2-1 (13KOs), with all three career blemishes coming in his last four starts. 

The bout aired live on ESPN3.com in the United States, on BoxNation in the United Kingdom on TV 2 in Russia, where the event was held. 

In undercard action:

• Grigory Drozd (40-1, 27KOs) registered the first successful defense of his cruiserweight belt with a 9th round stoppage of Poland's Lukasz Janik (28-3, 15KOs);

• Rakhim Chakhkiev (23-1, 17KOs) eventually tracked down a mobile Junior Wright (13-1-1, 11KOs), scoring a one-punch body shot knockout in the 8th round of their cruiserweight clash;

• Manuel Charr won a 10-round decision over Alex Leapai in a heavyweight bout that saw both fighters in less-than-stellar condition;

• Dmitry Kudtyashov showed some flaws in his game, but remained a knockout every time out in stopping Namibia's Vikapita Merero (28-5, 14KOs) in six rounds