Povetkin & Seldon In 4 Round “Smoker”?
By William Trillo
If reports floating around the internet are true, it may be that Alexander Povetkin and Bruce Seldon competed in a 4 round exhibition that saw the fighters “spar” with no head gear and 10 ounce gloves. Reports also state there was a ref on hand to officiate the unofficial scrap. To put it anther way the two faced off in a good old fashioned “Smoker.”
In case you have never heard the term, Boxrec defines a “smoker” bout –for all intents and purposes–a professional prize-fight conducted under the auspices of a private, charitable club in those jurisdictions which prohibited prize-fighting. The authorities generally turned a blind eye to these bouts. When pressed, the promoters termed these bouts “amateur.”
The bout reprtedly took place July 29th in Philadelphia. Obviously prize fighting is not prohibited in the state of Pennsylvania, but one has to wonder what the commission thought of the reported sparring session.
According to Boxingscene, “calling it an exhibition would rule out the involvement of the local commission, who probably would not have approved the fight between Povetkin and Seldon. Seldon, 42-years-old, had been inactive for a year and was knocked out in his last ring appearance.”
Apparently the reported session was the brainchild of Povetkin’s trainer Teddy Atlas who as of late has been at odds with Povetkins management, who at the time has not commented on the reports.
Seldon soon afterward said Povetkin would become a Champion.
It’s hard to imagine that the knowledgeable Atlas would put his fighter in jeopardy by doing something in violation of the rules but if true this clearly put his fighter in a compromising position.
Apparently Povetkin came out unscathed but it seems like a haphazard move at best. No telling what the local commission will say or do about the reported matter.
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The one man career wrecking ball that is Teddy Atlas strikes again.
It is true, all Russian internet full of reports and there is even video of Povetkin confirming that there was a fight and he injured his right hand