There hasn’t been much hype ahead of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defence on Saturday night, largely because his opponent isn’t Deontay Wilder.

Nevertheless, Alexander Povetkin is a decent test for the WBA, IBF and WBO champion.

The 39-year-old has 34 victories on his record with just one defeat – a unanimous decision against Wladimir Klitschko in 2013 – and he earned this title shot by stopping David Price in brutal fashion in March.

Povetkin has some big names on his record, including Carlos Takam, who – like Joshua – he stopped in the 10th round of their 2014 fight.

The Russian is a really tough guy and he can punch, too, with 24 wins inside the distance.

Joshua will need to be careful to avoid the kind of looping right hand that put Price out on his feet.

Ultimately, though, it’s hard to look past the champion this weekend, and it’s no surprise that he’s the clear favourite at .

As much as promoter Eddie Hearn claims that this is Joshua’s toughest fight, Povetkin is a more limited opponent than both Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker.

It’s worth remembering that Povetkin was caught with a big right hook by Price despite being in full control of the fight, and might have lost if not for the bell at the end of the fourth round.

Expect Joshua to control the action with his 82-inch reach, catching Povetkin at will with the jab to set up the big right hand.

It’s hard see the Russian going the distance, so a Joshua KO win looks very safe at .

An early stoppage is unlikely, though, given that Povetkin has never been stopped, so victory for the Englishman between rounds seven and nine is good value at a boosted price of .

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