Wladimir Klitschko defeated the pride of Russian boxing in lopsided decision days before Putin’s birthday

Wladimir Klitschko had one of the greatest heavyweight careers of all time, including a win over a Russian favorite in his home country. Wladimir Klitschko was inching closer to the end of his career when, in 2013, he faced Francesco Pianeta. The Ukrainian hadn’t lost since his upset to Corrie Sanders ten years earlier, and beat Pianeta with ease. Now eyeing the next challenge, Klitschko made a world title defense against a fearsome 26-0 Russian powerhouse. Klitschko, who KO’d Deontay Wilder in sparring, faced 26-0 Alexander Povetkin, who had beaten names like Marco Huck, Ruslan Chagaev, Chris Byrd, and Hasim Rahman. The fight took place in Povetkin’s homeland of Russia, and it was reported by Sport.pl that Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, had vied for the fight to be rescheduled to take place on his birthday two days later. It’s a good thing it wasn’t, though, as Klitschko dismantled the Russian fan-favorite, dropping him once in round two and three times in round seven. Klitschko, who was almost beaten