Boxing
Nick Parkinson 6y

Joshua-Povetkin the latest in a history of clashes between British and Russian boxers

Boxing

British and Russian boxers have clashed in some key contests in recent years, with Saturday's fight between Anthony Joshua and Alexander Povetkin being the latest chapter in a long and competitive series. ESPN takes a look at what has come before.

Alexander Povetkin WKO5 David Price - 31 Mar. 2018

The Russian produced a sickening knockout in a highly-entertaining slugfest to set up Saturday's clash with WBA-IBF-WBO world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Povetkin floored Price with a right-left combination in the third round but Price's head quickly cleared and a thrilling round ended with the Russian being given a count after being sent crashing into the ring post by a left hook.

Price's punch resistance betrayed him in the fifth round when he was stunned by a right that caused him to drop his hands. Povetkin showed no mercy and applied a left hook flush on the chin, to leave Price crashing heavily on to his back.

George Groves WTKO6 Fedor Chudinov - 27 May 2017

After three unsuccessful title attempts, Groves won his first world title when he stopped Chudinov in Sheffield in May last year.

Chudinov made a strong start, breaking his opponent's jaw in the third round, but Groves took control and unloaded a furious barrage of blows in the sixth.

Chudinov had made two defences, including one against Groves' fellow Englishman Frank Buglioni in London in 2015. The Russian has registered four wins since. Chudinov's brother Dmitrii was also stopped in the last round by Chris Eubank Jr for the WBA interim belt on a visit to England in 2015.

David Haye WPTS Nikolai Valuev - 7 Nov. 2009

Haye overcame sizeable height and weight disadvantages to end the reign of Valuev, Russia's first world heavyweight champion, and become a two-weight world champion.

The Englishman lifted the WBA belt on a majority points decision, using his boxing skills to out-move Valuev, who was a foot taller and nearly seven stones heavier for the clash. Haye had been vicious in his trash talk before facing Valuev, calling him "a circus show freak".

Haye recently announced his retirement while Valuev never fought again. He is currently a member of the Russian parliament.

Ricky Hatton WRTD11 Kostya Tszyu - 5 Jun. 2005

Underdog Hatton lifted the IBF world light-welterweight belt -- and his first major title -- after wearing down Tszyu, who retired at the end of the 11th round.

Tszyu went into the fight as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but Hatton ended the Russian's career in Manchester - in what was perhaps the Englishman's finest triumph.

Born in the Soviet Union, close to the Ural mountains, Tsyzu had a spell in the Soviet army before moving to Australia after winning gold at the amateur World Championships in Sydney in 1991. He then made his professional debut in 1992 and had a brilliant career, with two spells as world champion over ten years.

Denis Lebedev WTKO 3 Enzo Maccarinelli - 18 Jul. 2009

Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli was looking to revive his career after losing his world cruiserweight title to Haye the previous year when he was wiped out by Denis Lebedev.

The Russian went on to win the WBC world title while Maccarinelli had mixed fortunes.

Big Macc travelled to St Petersburg the following year to beat Russian Alexander Kotlobay for the European title but three stoppage defeats followed before he beat another Russian boxer -- if you count his four-round knockout win over Roy Jones Jr in December 2015.

Two months after American Jones, a four-weight world champion, became a Russian citizen, Maccarinelli brutally knocked out the 46-year-old in the fourth round in Moscow.

Sergey Kovalev WTKO4 Nathan Cleverly - 17 Aug. 2013

Kovalev, who recently lost his world light-heavyweight title by knockout, first became world champion when he ended the unbeaten record of Cleverly five years ago.

Kovalev announced his arrival with a devastating display of his punching power in Cardiff. Cleverly was stopped in the fourth round after twice visiting the canvas in the third, as his reign ended in a sixth title defence.

It was the first time Cleverly had been knocked down as a professional and Kovalev went on to make eight defences before two back-to-back defeats to Andre Ward. The Russian won back the belt but lost it in a second defence to Eleider Alvarez, who knocked him out in seven rounds last month. Cleverly retired a year ago.

Lee Selby WTD 8 Evgeny Gradovich - 30 May 2015

Selby gave Gradovich a boxing lesson as he won the IBF world featherweight title by a technical decision in the eighth round.

Gradovich was peppered by punches until he was stopped by a gruesome cut by his right eye. As the cut was caused by an accidental clash of heads, Selby was adjudged winner by unanimous scores of 79-73, 80-72 and 79-73 in London.

Welshman Selby, who lost his world title on points to England's Josh Warrington in May, nullified the aggressive California-based Russian. Gradovich, who made four defences, last fought in Russia in May last year and retired in December due to an eye injury.

Some boxers born in the old Soviet Union -- such as middleweight Gennady Golovkin, as well as Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko -- are not included in this list. Golovkin and the Klitschkos represented Kazakhstan and Ukraine respectively after those countries gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

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