ESTRADA - POVETKIN WRAP UP
By Michael Parente

PROVIDENCE – The judges’ scorecards weren’t the only factor in determining whether Jason “Big Six” Estrada’s trip to Germany was a success or failure.
“Other than the result of the fight, everything was a positive,” Estrada said in the aftermath of his unanimous decision loss to No. 1-ranked heavyweight Alexander Povetkin on April 4.
In an experience Estrada described as both “frustrating” and “motivational,” the former U.S. Olympian and Providence native battled Povetkin to the final bell in a close fight that – despite the final outcome – will undoubtedly help his career as he continues to climb the ladder in the heavyweight division.
“I fought a great fight,” said Estrada, who dropped to 15-2 while Povetkin remained unbeaten at 17-0. “He came to fight and I came to fight. We made it happen. I wasn’t expecting to go in there and just walk over the dude. I wanted to knock him out because I didn’t want to leave it up to the judges, but there’s nothing I can really do about it.”
Estrada got off to a quick start, using his jab to keep space between himself and Povetkin, but the 6-foot-2 Russian eventually adjusted to Estrada’s style and controlled the second half of the fight.
Povetkin – the No. 1 contender for Wladimir Klitschko’s IBF title – closed out the win with a dominant 10th round in which he nearly floored Estrada in the final minute and cruised to a 97-93, 98-92, 99-94 decision.
Asked if any of the scores surprised him, Estrada said, “They all did – especially the one where the judge gave me one round.
“To be honest, I thought if anything it was a draw or maybe I won by maybe one round. I thought it was a very close fight. We both gave it our best, but he got the decision. I’m not down about it and I’m not mad about it anymore. We weren’t expecting to go out there and get the decision. We were expecting to knock him out. It just didn’t happen.”
Other than the 10th round, in which Povetkin delivered a vicious body blow that momentarily stunned “Big Six,” Estrada never appeared hurt during the course of the fight. The former Olympian landed enough power punches to keep Povetkin off balance and attempted to work the body in an effort to wear down the Russian toward the end of the fight.
“[Estrada] went out there and showed the world he belongs,” Classic Entertainment & Sports’ president Jimmy Burchfield said. “He fought 10 tough, hard rounds against someone I think will eventually be the heavyweight champion of the world. Alexander Povetkin proved to me he can definitely be a world champion.
“With what Jason did in Germany, he would’ve beat most of the top 10 heavyweights out there.”
Estrada prepared diligently for this fight, but Povetkin proved he’s more than just the prototypical international boxer. Rather than stand toe-to-toe with Estrada, Povetkin used the entire ring and unleashed three-punch combinations that forced Estrada to adjust his original game plan.
“Alexander came in the best shape of his life,” Burchfield said. “In some fights, like when he fought Eddie Chambers, he will stand in front of you and throw one-twos and one-twos with an occasional one-two-three, but he didn’t do that. He moved around. He went in and out. If Jason hit him with two punches, he came back with three. This guy came with his ‘A’ game.”
“I didn’t think anything of him besides the fact he moved back a little better than I thought,” Estrada added. “Basically, that was it. As far as his punching ability or him being fast or having any kind of power, it was nothing that I didn’t think already. Everything was the same. He did move and bounce back and come in with just punches. He did that really well.”
Estrada tried to slow Povetkin by working the midsection, but the Russian continuously wrapped him up before Estrada could unload more body punches. As he fight wore on, Estrada found himself trailing on the scorecards, forcing him to ditch his initial game plan and look for the knockout punch.
“I got kind of frustrated because everything I tried to do the ref was involved every time,” Estrada said. “I wanted to work inside more, but the ref was letting him hold. Every time I did land a good body shot he would call me and say it was low. I got kind of frustrated, man, because I just wanted to try to catch him with one lucky shot and I got away from my game plan.
“It was a great game plan. I honestly wasn’t 100 percent expecting that from him from what I’d seen in his fights. He always wants the guy to hold and he’s always working, so I was planning on working in there with him, but he didn’t give me the opportunity at all.
“He grabbed and it was blatant and the ref could see it. He used his forearm a lot, but regardless of that he fought a great fight. He kept it short and didn’t let me get much inside, which is the way I wanted to work.”
As the two exchanged flurries in the 10th round – with Estrada absorbing most of the damage – “Big Six” leaned back and landed a big right hand that caught Povetkin across the face, but the unbeaten challenger stayed on his feet and kept slugging until the final bell.
“What happened was he threw a good body shot that kind of slapped me toward the back. I felt it, but I knew there wasn’t much time left so I wanted to take a step back and make a little room,” Estrada said.
“Hopefully, he’d think I was hurt or something and I could one big shot off. That’s what I tried to do, but he didn’t get close enough. I caught him, but I didn’t catch him the way I wanted to. I just tried to make sure every time he landed two shots I would try to land three. I didn’t want to be the one that was always catching punches and never throwing back. I wanted to be the one throwing back, so the whole time that was my plan to do that and it worked out sometimes and other times it didn’t.”
Povetkin is scheduled to face Klitschko in September – provided Klitschko doesn’t lose to David Haye in June – nearly nine months after the two were supposed to fight in December. The original fight was postponed when Povetkin injured his foot. His victory over Estrada was his first fight since July of 2008.
“He should be alright,” Estrada said of Povetkin’s chances against Klitschko. “It’s all about the moment. You can never judge anyone. Hopefully, he does good. I’m rooting for him, to be honest with you. We need new blood in the heavyweight division. It’s time for the older guys to go sit down somewhere. It’s time for the younger guys to take over, so I’m rooting for him. If he does well, that just shows that I belong there.”
As for Estrada, he’s hoping to get back in the ring sometime in June. The opponent and venue has yet to be determined, but it’s clear Estrada’s showing in Germany will help his career despite the final outcome.
Said Burchfield: “To get in there with a heavyweight that won the gold medal and is undefeated and can punch like hell proves that Jason Estrada belongs in the top 10 and can hang with any top-10 fighter.”

Povetkin, Estrada confident of success in battle of Olympians
 
Jason Estrada is convinced he can spring a surprise and upset Alexander Povetkin in Dusseldorf on Saturday night. It will be a special fight as the two protagonists share a lot of things in common. Both boast an impressive amateur record, both fought in Olympic tournaments and both have set their sights on a victory on Saturday night. “We have come to Germany to take home the Olympic gold medal Povetkin won in 2004,” Estrada´s promoter Jimmy Burchfield said. “Jason was one of the best amateur fighters in the country and he was one of the favorites to win Olympic gold at Athens.”
 
While Povetkin, who is also a European and World amateur champion, went on to win the Olympic tournament, Estrada did not make it to the final due to an early loss. “It just was not my day,” he said. “I did not perform well. But I feel much more comfortable as a pro. I never really liked the way of fighting and scoring in the amateur system.”
 
Povetkin coach Valeri Belov was full of praise for the 29-year-old American. “I saw one of his fights in Athens and he certainly has a lot of talent,” Belov said. “He is a tough guy. We have also analyzed his pro bouts. We are taking him very seriously and I have no doubts that Alexander will take care of business and beat him.”
 
Just like at yesterday´s media work-out, Povetkin was again asked about the showdown with Wladimir Klitschko.
“I only have Estrada on my mind,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for him and it will be a tough fight. We will see what happens after I have defeated him.”
 
Povetkin stated he has fully recovered from the ankle injury that forced him to postpone the Klitschko fight, which was originally scheduled for December. “I don´t have any problems any more, I am in great shape,” he said. “I took my time to recover and then started from scratch. We did all the basic conditioning in the mountains and the sparring also went very well. I am in the shape of my life.”
 
Things heated up when Povetkin´s co-mananger
Vlad Hrunov took the stage and confronted Estrada with his derisive remarks about Povetkin, whom he had called a “sitting duck” in an interview. “I don´t know whether I said that or not,” the American replied. “But if I said it, so be it – Povetkin is a sitting duck. I will give the answer to all further
questions in the ring on Saturday night.”

2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada
plans to upset No. 1 rated Alexander Povetkin
April 4 in Dusseldorf, Germany

PROVIDENCE (March 27, 2009) – 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada held an open media workout today at his ”Big Six Academy” in Providence before he departs Sunday for Germany to fight Alexander Povetkin, 2004 Olympic gold medalist and the IBF’s No. 1 contender, April 4 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Estrada (15-1, 3 KOs) and Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs) nearly fought several times as amateurs but it never materialized, due to their contrasting schedules, until now as professionals. Povetkin, who has a mandated title shot this fall against IBF heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, signed to fight Estrada because, according to reports from his camp, he wants a test not a tune-up.

“Training has gone well and my body is good,” Estrada said today. “I’m going over there to whoop his butt. He’s going to be out of his league. He’s not used to fighting somebody like me. This isn’t going to be cute; it’s going to be a real fight. The only real fight he’s been in was against Eddie Chambers (WDEC12). I thought he (Povetkin) lost but they gave it to him. He’d throw five slaps but only two would be what I call clean. I’m a lot more aggressive and mean than Eddie Chambers.”

Providence-native Estrada was one of the most highly decorated American amateur boxers ever, compiling an amazing 261-14 record in U.S. competition. He was the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row.

ESTRADA POVETKIN PREVIEW
By Michael Parente

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The walls of the Big Six Boxing Academy are covered with photos of Alexander Povetkin.

A few hang on ring posts in various corners of the gym. There’s even one on the full-length mirror facing the doorway.

Everywhere he turns, Jason Estrada is reminded of what – and, more importantly, who – he’ll face when he travels to Germany to square off against Povetkin on April 4.

“I’m so ready to fight,” Estrada said. “I’m ready to smash this guy and get it over with.”

Call it motivation by memorization. Estrada’s father and trainer, Dr. Roland Estrada, purposely scattered images of Povetkin throughout the gym in an attempt to agitate his son to the point where Jason’s first real-life glimpse of Povetkin next month might trigger a right hook to the Russian’s jaw. Dr. Estrada even plays videos of Povetkin’s fights while his son spars.

“We just don’t stop talking about Povetkin,” Dr. Estrada said. “Jason hates his guts.”

The rage and aggravation building inside Estrada (15-1, 3 KOs) now is merely a precursor to what Povetkin will face on April 4 when the 6-foot-2 Russian puts his future on the line in a 10-round heavyweight showdown against Classic Entertainment & Sports’ most decorated prospect.

Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs) – ranked No. 1 in the International Boxing Federation – pulled out of a scheduled fight against heavyweight champion Wladimir Kltischko in December due to a foot injury. A rematch has been scheduled for September, but Povetkin must first get past Estrada, who – in arguably the toughest test of his career – is fighting for a chance to crack the Top 10 in the world heavyweight rankings.

“You have a lot of people saying this is a tune-up fight or whatever. Good. I like that,” Estrada said. “Keep thinking it’s a tune-up fight and he’s going to get a big surprise.

“He’s going to be an April fool.”

While this is an equally-important fight for Estrada, the pressure’s on Povetkin to keep his perfect record intact in order to secure his long-awaited showdown against Klitschko. A win by Estrada would disrupt the order in the heavyweight division and possibly earn the former U.S. Olympian a title shot in the near future.

“Honestly, I think people are making it out to be this big fight because of him, but I don’t think it’s that big of a fight for me because I don’t think he’s that good,” Estrada said. “I’ve watched him and he doesn’t have anything special to offer, but he’s been that person who’s been babied his whole professional career.

“He hasn’t fought anybody besides his last three or four fights. He fought Eddie Chambers, which I thought he lost the fight. If it had been in the United States, he would’ve lost. He fought Taurus Sykes, who was terrible. And he fought Larry Donald, who was old as hell. And he fought Chris Byrd, who was old as hell and it looked like he was sick. Chris Byrd in his day would’ve killed this guy, but when your time comes your time comes.”

Povetkin and Estrada have been waiting to square off since their days as amateurs. The two were supposed to face one another in the 2003 World Championships, but Estrada instead competed in the Pan-Am Games as the No. 1 ranked super heavyweight and captured the gold medal in his Olympic qualifier. Povetkin subsequently took home the gold at the World Championships.

Team Russia pulled out of a dual meet against the United States later that year, spoiling another shot a Povetkin-Estrada showdown. Several months later, Estrada suffered a foot injury that affected his training for the ’04 Olympics, resulting in an early exit from competition while Povetkin cruised to the gold medal.

Nothing can stand in the way now as the two heavyweight prospects will finally face off in what is being billed as a major test for Estrada and a major risk for Povetkin.

“If you don’t fight Povetkin now it may be two or three years before we get in that position to fight a No. 1 contender,” Dr. Estrada said. “This is not something you turn down. You just can’t. No matter what they offered as far as the money or what they offered as far as the venues, this was a fight we had to take.

“What surprises me is that [Povetkin’s] promoters took the fight knowing what’s at stake.”

The pressure hasn’t fazed Estrada, who goes about his business as if this were just another fight in his backyard at Twin River. Win or lose, facing Povetkin could take Estrada’s career to the next level. A victory yields obvious results, but even a close loss via a controversial decision – “Hopefully, we’ll keep that from happening by not going 10 rounds,” Dr. Estrada said – will help Estrada’s reputation among the sport’s elite sanctioning bodies, such as the WBC (World Boxing Council), WBA (World Boxing Association) or IBF. 

“Jason doesn’t let this kind of stuff bother him anyway,” added Dr. Estrada, “but I think Jason’s really going in there with a mentality that this guy can’t make it 10 rounds.

“With this guy, you not only want to box him you want to cut him and hurt him – more than just box him because we’re not fighting at Twin River. Really, I think Povetkin’s mindset – not to speak for him – is, ‘Let me go 10 rounds and I’ll win the fight. My people have my back.’ I think he thinks like that because he really doesn’t go after people to knock them out. I think he thinks if he lasts 10 rounds he wins the fight regardless.”

Even with 12 knockouts on his resume, Povetkin is considered more of a finesse fighter with superior technique than a power-puncher – similar to Estrada, who has only three knockouts in 16 fights. The quality of opponents for both fighters helps fuel that perception. Estrada notes that Povetkin fights “dead men” while his opponents have a combined record of 250-86-10.

“He basically is one of those guys whose whole mindset is just to win and hopefully win the decision,” Estrada said. “He doesn’t have a killer instinct to go out there and try to knock people out. He just tries to win because most of his fights are in Germany or on his side of the map.

“To me, that’s going to be the big difference. What’s he going to do when somebody’s actually aggressive and wants to go at him? I’m going to box, of course, because that’s my first nature, but by no means is this going to be a pretty fight for him. I’m not trying to look cute in there. It’s all business. I’m trying to hurt him.”

To avoid controversy, Estrada plans on taking the decision out of the judges’ hands by finishing the fight within 10 rounds. Stamina might be an issue since Povetkin has gone the distance just four times in his professional career, including a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Chambers in January of 2008.

“At the end of every round, he’s half dead and they’re coaching him in the corner trying to keep him awake,” Estrada said of Povetkin. “That’s what I see. That’s a bad sign.

“What’s he going to do when I’m in the corner with my dad pushing my father out of the way and looking at him in his corner or I’m getting up in the corner jumping around and it’s the seventh round? What’s that going to do to him mentally when he lands a good shot and I look at him and laugh? I don’t think he’s prepared for that.”

Facing the element of the unknown, Povetkin is rolling the dice by relying on his experience to carry him past Estrada while his ambitious opponent has more than enough incentive to succeed thanks in large part to his father’s clever sources of motivation.

Considered by many to be nothing more than a “tune-up” in Povetkin’s quest for a world title, Estrada plans on playing a much less subtle number on his opponent come April 4.

“I think he’s looking past Jason,” Dr. Estrada said. “If you look on paper you say, ‘Well, Jason’s fought some people, but he doesn’t really knock anybody out, so I just have to put pressure on him and take him out.’ A lot of guys think that way, but once they get in the ring it’s, ‘What was that?’

“With Jason, you get hit and you never saw his hand move. You swore it was the referee that hit you.”