POVETKIN-RAHMAN MOVED TO HAMBURG

Press Release: Alexander Povetkin (24-0, 16 KOs) will defend his WBA regular heavyweight title against Hasim Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KOs), not in London as expected, but instead in Hamburg, Germany on July 14th. Originally Povetkin was scheduled to fight on the David Haye-Dereck Chisora undercars but promorer Sauerland Event has now opted to put the fight in Hamburg instead. “It is due to [scheduling],” said Chris Meyer, managing director of Sauerland Event. “The English time schedule was too tight [for German TV]. We wouldn’t have been able to guarantee that the fight could have been broadcasted live in Germany. Therefore the heavyweight world championship will be staged in Hamburg.”

A good decision, believes Meyer: “There are not a lot of cities in Germany which can host such an event on such short notice. Hamburg is a real boxing city with a great audience and a lot of boxing tradition. Furthermore the city possesses the required infrastructure to host such a big event.”

This will be the second outing in the north German city for Alexander Povetkin, whose last fight was a memorable clash with Marco Huck. “My fourth fight as a pro was in Hamburg, back in 2005. Obviously I remember that fight very well. I have also been there a few times to visit my promoter Kalle Sauerland,” said Povetkin. But the Russian should not be taking his July 14 bout lightly. Hasim Rahman, the mandatory challenger also known as “The Rock”, once was a world champion himself. In 2001 the man from Baltimore won the WBC and IBF crown by sensationally knocking out Lennox Lewis in the fifth round. Although he did lose the immediate rematch he came back and was awarded with multiple title shots throughout his career.

The cheif support will feature “Golden” Jack Culcay vs. TBA, a fight on home turf for the German amateur world champion of 2009. The 26-year-old 154-pounder lives and trains in Hamburg. It will be his first title shot as a professional boxer.