I am still highly doubtful the fight actually happens. Wilder does deserve credit if the fight happens, but I'll believe that when I see it and think him vacating is more realistic. The criticism of Wilder is not personal just that he took a very easy route to the title and since he won the title has fought 2 non-contenders and 1 borderline top20 heavyweight (Szpilka), who I thought should have been ahead on the cards at the time of the KO. Szpilka is really the only credible win against a top-20 opponent on his record, and he now has over 35 fights.
Povetkin has beaten much better opposition in the pro and amateur ranks than has Wilder. Povetkin is vastly more experienced than Wilder when you compare their amateur careers, in fact the fight may look like an experienced pro (Povetkin) VS an overwhelmed amateur (Wilder).
I have a pretty good record when it comes to predicting fights. Of course, no one is right all of the time, but I'm generally in the right area and would say I am correct more than 75% of the time. I think the most likely result in this fight is Povetkin to win. I think he is a much, much, much, better fighter than Wilder. The only thing I could see posing a problem for Alex is the height and reach of Wilder. But there are many examples of fights where the smaller man wins (Frampton beating Quigg yesterday), and in my opinion there is too much of a skill gap between the 2, that even with his size advantage Wilder will still lose. The truth is, Wilder has looked awful in his last fight VS Szpilka, and Szpilka is nowhere near as good as Alex. If Szpilka can do that good, Alex will do much better. I thought Szpilka was ahead in the fight at the time of KO. Wilder's power saved him, but Alex is too smart and too technical to get caught like Artur did.
I like Alex to win the fight. I feel pretty confident he beats Wilder. There is a good chance its on a KO as well. Alex has knocked a lot of guys out and Wilder is there to be hit...
Would love to see the casino odds on this one. I bet Alex is a reasonable (-150 or greater) favourite. The fight would probably be even money or Alex a very small favourite if it was in USA, but since it looks like it will be in Russia, I'm thinking Alex is a clear favourite (-150 or more).