PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Povetkin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Vincent Hunter (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Povetkin
vs
Hunter

185 cm
33
183 lbs
22 - 9 - 1

182 cm
30
184 lbs
17 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

TWGC Champion
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 22 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Alexander Povetkin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Vincent Hunter!
The judges for this bout are , Don Winkell and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice cross by Povetkin.
A punch combination from Povetkin misses.
Povetkin throws a right hand that Hunter ducks under and follows up with a left that Hunter also avoids with ease.
Hunter throws a sloppy head kick and Povetkin moves out of range easily.
Hunter takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Povetkin stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Hunter throws a solid leg kick but Povetkin takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Hunter.
Hunter slips a straight right by Povetkin.
Hunter pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Povetkin misses with a body punch
and Hunter counters with a good, hard body kick but Povetkin shrugs it off.

Hunter shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Hunter lands a couple of digs.
Hunter won't allow Povetkin to sweep him here.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Povetkin is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Hunter is controlling him.
Povetkin being controlled here, momentarily.
Hunter working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Povetkin's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Povetkin uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Hunter paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
A cross from Hunter lands.
Povetkin throws a series of punches but Hunter avoids them all with ease.
A swing and a miss from Povetkin.
Povetkin throws a hook but Hunter avoids it easily.
Hunter jabs Povetkin to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Povetkin throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Hunter connects with a body shot that sends Povetkin's belly button to the back.
Povetkin tries a head kick but it misses.
Povetkin throws a lazy right hand but Hunter sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Hunter throws a half hearted mid kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hunter just misses with a punch to the body.
Alexander Povetkin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Povetkin slips under a jab from Hunter.
Hunter misses the shot to the body.
Povetkin is looking to clinch but Hunter is avoiding it.
Povetkin keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A big right from Povetkin misses.
Povetkin lands a slapping body shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Povetkin swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Povetkin smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Hunter is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Povetkin rather than just go for the knockout.
Hunter throws a shot to the body.
Nice shot by Hunter.
Alexander Povetkin is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hunter keeps the fight on the outside.
Hunter throws a front kick that sends Povetkin stumbling back into the cage.
Povetkin lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.

Hunter throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Povetkin tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Hunter is in Povetkin's guard.
Hunter postures up in Povetkin's guard and throws a big left but Povetkin blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hunter postures up in Povetkin's guard and throws a big left but Povetkin blocks it.
Hunter stopping the sweep attempt from Povetkin.
Povetkin keeping full guard, as Hunter tries to pass.
Hunter won't allow Povetkin to sweep him here.
Hunter trying to control but Povetkin is working from the bottom.
Povetkin is trying to control the position but Hunter postures up.
Hunter's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Povetkin misses with a right hand
letting Hunter counter with a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice defenses there by Hunter.
Povetkin throws a leg kick
and Hunter counters with a good low kick that Povetkin was not able to check.
The fight stays on the outside here - Povetkin looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Hunter avoids the body shot from Povetkin.
Hunter connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Hunter throws a push kick but Povetkin slaps the foot to one side.
Povetkin throws a right hand that Hunter ducks under and follows up with a left that Hunter also avoids with ease.
Hunter throws a leg kick but Povetkin sees it coming and moves out of range.
Povetkin misses with a wild combination.
Povetkin throws a leg kick
and Hunter counters with a low kick, right behind Povetkin 's knee.
Hunter will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Povetkin scores with a hook to the body. Hunter takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
A nice leg kick lands there from Hunter.
A telegraphed right hand from Povetkin misses the target.
Hunter misses with a body kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Vincent Hunter will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Hunter.
Hunter tries to land a front kick but Povetkin steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Povetkin misses with a looping left.
Hunter waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Povetkin.
Hunter misses with a low kick.
Povetkin tries to clinch but Hunter moves out of range.
Hunter is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Povetkin tries to clinch but Hunter moves out of range.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Povetkin.
Hunter uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Povetkin.

Povetkin moves into the clinch.
Hunter has Povetkin pressed against the cage, preventing Povetkin from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Povetkin swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Hunter is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Povetkin pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Povetkin stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Povetkin misses with a punch to the body.
Povetkin lands with a short shot to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A nice left hand lands by Hunter.
A short right from Povetkin.
Povetkin can't find room to land a body shot as Hunter controls the action.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Povetkin.
Povetkin tries to throw a body punch but Hunter avoids it by throwing Povetkin back against the cage.
Povetkin prevents a body shot from Hunter.
Hunter is looking to control Povetkin's arms but Povetkin gets an underhook and turns him. Now Hunter has his back to the cage.
Povetkin scores with a hook to the body.
Povetkin is trying to break the clinch but Hunter has him pressed against the cage.
Hunter is looking for a takedown.
Povetkin scores with a shoulder strike.
Hunter stalling in the clinch but Povetkin improves position.

Povetkin breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Hunter takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Povetkin tries to bum rush Hunter with a series of wild strikes but Hunter uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Hunter defending well as Povetkin loads up on a big left hand.
Hunter wants to land a leg kick but Povetkin is out of range.
Povetkin lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hunter on the wrong end of a nice jab.

Hunter is rocked!
Povetkin misses with a few strikes there.
Povetkin tries to close the distance and clinch but Hunter swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Povetkin walks forward, straight into a front kick from Hunter.
Povetkin tries to close the distance and clinch but Hunter swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Povetkin looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Hunter jabs Povetkin to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Povetkin with a nice cross.
Povetkin takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Povetkin stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hunter.
Hunter sizes up Povetkin with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Povetkin misses with an uppercut
and Hunter counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Povetkin thinking.
Hunter takes a jab right on the kisser.
Povetkin throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Povetkin lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Hunter backs up against the cage.
Hunter is still on wobbly legs! Can Povetkin finish him?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hunter throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Povetkin stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Povetkin takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Hunter seems to have recovered his senses.
Povetkin checks the leg kick nicely there.
Hunter throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Povetkin counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Hunter is lucky that one didn't land flush.
A looping hook to the body misses from Povetkin. Hunter does a little dance to reset his feet.
Hunter lands with an uppercut that bounces Povetkin off the cage and back into range.
Povetkin takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Hunter fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Povetkin doesn't manage to clinch there - Hunter circles away.
Povetkin moves out of range of the strikes.
Hunter sizes up Povetkin with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Povetkin tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Hunter counters with an outside leg kick.
Povetkin connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Hunter momentarily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Povetkin throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A punch combination from Povetkin misses.
Hunter cracks the inside of Povetkin's front leg.
Povetkin lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Good leg kick by Hunter there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Povetkin avoids the head kick by Hunter.
Hunter attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Povetkin looks to score with a jab to the body but Hunter is just out of range.
Hunter is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Hunter throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Povetkin tries to clinch but Hunter moves out of range.

Hunter closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hunter scoring with punches from side control.
Povetkin is looking for a sweep.
Povetkin regains half guard there - taking advantage of Hunter's attempt to lay and pray for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alexander Povetkin dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Hunter jabs at Povetkin's body.
Povetkin tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Hunter manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Povetkin misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hunter.
Povetkin takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.

Povetkin gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Povetkin controlling the position.
Hunter preventing the sweep.
Povetkin keeping moving, preventing Hunter from controlling successfully.
Hunter loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hunter engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Povetkin is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Hunter stuns Povetkin with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Povetkin tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Hunter was well out of range. Poor timing from Povetkin.
Hunter thows a body shot but no joy.
Povetkin is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Povetkin tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Hunter manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Hunter checks a leg kick.
Hunter moves away from the strike by Povetkin.
Hunter scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Povetkin doesn't seem bothered though.
Hunter throws a head kick that Povetkin semi-blocks.
Povetkin tries to clinch up but Hunter circles away and keeps his distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hunter circles away from the clinch attempt.
Hunter finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Povetkin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hunter paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Povetkin tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Hunter digs a good body shot into Povetkin's ribs.
Povetkin throws a nice outside leg kick.
Povetkin tries to clinch but Hunter moves out of range.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hunter lands with a nice body kick.
A solid body kick from Hunter.
Hunter thows a body shot but no joy.
Hunter ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Povetkin moves away.
Povetkin thumps Hunter with a low kick.
Povetkin tries to clinch there but Hunter circles away.
Povetkin misses with an uppercut.
Povetkin on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hunter misses with a body kick.
Povetkin tries to clinch there but Hunter circles away.
Hunter swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Povetkin misses with a leg kick.
Povetkin ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Povetkin lands a head shot.

Hunter closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Povetkin misses with a hook from the clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Povetkin fails to land.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Povetkin.
Povetkin will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
A short uppercut from Hunter.
Povetkin struggles to land a body shot inside as Hunter controls his hands.

Povetkin breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Povetkin throws a leg kick

and Hunter counters with a shoot takedown. Povetkin fights it but they end up in guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hunter trying to control but Povetkin is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Povetkin being controlled here, momentarily.
Povetkin is pulling down on Hunter's head. It's preventing any offense from Hunter, at least for the moment.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Hunter wants to control from the top but Povetkin keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Vincent Hunter wasn't active enough on the ground.
Povetkin feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Hunters jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vincent Hunter really dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Povetkin throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Hunter punishes Povetkin's body with a nice straight punch.
Hunter ducks under a wild hook from Povetkin.
Hunter slips under a jab.
Hunter takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Hunter misses with a two punch combination.
Hunter with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Povetkin to score with a decent uppercut.
Alexander Povetkin is winning the standup battle so far.
Hunter lands with a nice body punch.
Povetkin sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Hunter lands with an uppercut that bounces Povetkin off the cage and back into range.
Povetkin is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Hunter tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Povetkin tries to clinch up.
Povetkin swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hunter looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Hunter misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Povetkin.
Povetkin lands a jab to Hunter's midsection.
Povetkin connects with a single shot there.

Povetkin has managed to clinch.
Hunter prevents a body shot from Povetkin.
Povetkin tries to throw a body punch but Hunter avoids it by throwing Povetkin back against the cage.
Hunter is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Povetkin is defending well.
Povetkin tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Povetkin breaks from the clinch.
Povetkin swats away the attempt to clinch by Hunter.
Povetkin throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hunter counters with a body kick.
Povetkin misses with a right hand
letting Hunter counter with a right hand.
Povetkin throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Sloppy strikes from Povetkin. Those never looked like landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Povetkin throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Povetkin throws an overhand right that lands on Hunter's shoulder, as Hunter tries to avoid the shot.
Povetkin throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hunter lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Some bone on bone action there as Povetkin checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Povetkin throws a leg kick that misses.
Povetkin wants to clinch.
Povetkin lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Povetkin.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Povetkin is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Povetkin scores with a decent looking hook.
Povetkin misses with a jab to the body
and Hunter counters with a body kick that stops Povetkin in his tracks momentarily.
Hunter waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Povetkin.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Povetkin fails with an attempt to clinch.
An inside leg kick lands from Hunter.
A bone on bone clash there as Povetkin blocks the leg kick.
Hunter misses with a two punch combination.

Povetkin closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Povetkin tries a body shot but Hunter blocks it.
Hunter throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Hunter wants to stall.

Povetkin breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nice straight punches there by Hunter. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Hunter.
Hunter scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Povetkin doesn't seem bothered though.
The fight stays on the outside here - Povetkin looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Hunter chopping away at his opponent's legs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Povetkin forces Hunter back against the cage and clinches.
Alexander Povetkin has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Povetkin tries to work over Hunter's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A nice left hand lands by Hunter.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Povetkin swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Povetkin tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Povetkin tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Hunter lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Hunter prevents Povetkin from breaking the clinch.
Hunter misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Povetkin tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Povetkin goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Povetkin tries to work over Hunter's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Hunter misses with some punches.
Hunter scores with a shot to the side of Povetkin's head.
Hunter blocking some punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Alexander Povetkin will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Povetkin keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Hunter.
Hunter lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Povetkin at a distance.
Povetkin throws a nice looking combination but Hunter bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Povetkin lands with a straight right. Hunter didn't see that one coming.
Hunter looks to land a body kick but Povetkin moved away.
Hunter tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Povetkin connects with a solid leg kick.
Povetkin tries to move into range but Hunter moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
A lazy body kick from Hunter
and Povetkin counters with a nice low kick that buckles Hunter's knee momentarily.
Povetkin closes the distance but Hunter moves to the side
and Hunter counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Povetkin is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Povetkin is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Hunter.
Povetkin misses with a hook
and Hunter counters with a good, hard body kick but Povetkin shrugs it off.
Povetkin throws a nice looking combination but Hunter bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Good work by Hunter as he checks the leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hunter throws a nice head kick!
Povetkin lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Hunter moves out of range as Povetkin strikes.
Povetkin ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Hunter moves away.
Povetkin wants to clinch up but Hunter keeps it at a distance.
Hunter moves out of range as Povetkin throws a body kick.
Povetkin moves in looking to clinch but Hunter pushes him off.
Povetkin has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Hunter.
Hunter ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Povetkin throws a lazy uppercut
and Hunter counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Povetkin misses with a body punch
and Hunter counters with a nice leg kick.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

Hunter shoots in and gets a takedown into Povetkin's guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hunter postures up in Povetkin's guard and throws a big left but Povetkin blocks it.
Hunter trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Povetkin manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Hunter looking for a guillotine here but Povetkin defends easily.
Povetkin wants to stand but Hunter is controlling his posture from full guard.
Hunter has his hands on Povetkin's head, controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hunter's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Povetkin is stalling in the full guard.
Hunter working a defensive guard here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

We're going to have a standup here because Alexander Povetkin wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Hunter scores with a nice strike.
Hunter connects with a solid leg kick.
Hunter connects with a right hand. Povetkin shakes it off.
A head kick misses from Povetkin.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Povetkin, right into the meat.
A solid leg kick lands there for Povetkin.
Povetkin fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hunter manages to avoid it.
Povetkin looking to land some kicks to the body here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Povetkin uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hunter.
A bone on bone clash there as Povetkin blocks the leg kick.
Povetkin jabs at Hunter's body.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Vincent Hunter.
I think Hunter has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 47:48
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 47:48
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Vincent Hunter!
Vincent Hunter seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.