By Ronan Keenan
Warning: strong opinions are contained in the following article
26.07 - Remember the period between the reigns of Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson? If not, then you're lucky. Fighters such as Tony Tubbs, Pinklon Thomas, and Trevor Berbick appeared at the top of boxing's most glamorous division. This forgettable era of the mid-eighties was dominated with mediocre boxers trundling through unmemorable, boring fights with each other. Every so often a new 'star' would be about to burst onto the scene. Greg Page and Tim Witherspoon were supposed to be the next legends of the heavyweights. Enough said.
During this timeframe the public turned its attention to the lower weight classes and watched great fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Tommy Hearns battle it out in classic showdowns.
Today the heavyweight division is headed towards a similar, if not worse state, as that of the mid-eighties. If Lennox Lewis retires soon we'll be faced with flawed fighters with limited ability mauling over different versions of the world championship. Boxing won't survive if this scenario occurs. General fans won't bother searching for hidden stars in the lower weights. Why should they bother? At the moment the only big name outside of the big boys is Oscar De La Hoya, but apart from him not one pugilist has entered the consciousness of the mainstream. Take into account that Ray Leonard was already a household name when he won his Olympic medal in the seventies. Never again will an amateur boxer get generous publicity in the national media.
Currently the heavyweight division is what keeps this sport's slow heartbeat going. The Lewis-Tyson showdown signalled the end of the mega fights for the foreseeable future. Only one man can keep boxing alive in the coming years. The saviour of the 'Sweet Science' can be Wladimir Klitschko.
This Ukrainian born, Olympic Gold medallist is the only marketable fighter currently inhabiting boxing's heaviest weight division. Klitschko is a true monster and one of the most intimidating specimens on the planet. He is 6'8 tall and hits with thudding force and pinpoint accuracy. Added to the fact that he is white, well educated and bears a striking resemblance to Ivan Drago from the film Rocky IV and we've got a star in the making.
At the moment no other fighter in this +190lbs class has the boxing ability or marketability of Klitschko. In the heavyweight top ten there are no competitors apart from this Eastern European that even have the slightest potential to cross over to the mainstream. Hasim Rahman looked like the type of champion necessary to rekindle sports fans' interests in boxing, but his reign as top contender is surely over after successive defeats to Lewis and Evander Holyfield.
Holyfield, formerly the hero of boxing, is now creaking around the top of the rankings but his days in the upper echelon seem to numbered due to his advanced years. The 'new Mike Tyson' David Tua has, on numerous occasions, been exposed as being nothing more than a limited puncher, while Kirk Johnson is still unproven in terms of his fighting capabilities. Johnson will fight the WBA titleholder and Holyfield conqueror John Ruiz on 27th July, but unless the challenger wins in spectacular style over his unqualified opponent we can write Kirk off. Jameel McCline has impressed some observers, however his recent performances were, on the one hand, competent, but at the same time quite dull affairs.
We've also got Vitali Klitschko, older brother of the aforementioned Wladimir. The elder Klitschko has looked impressive at times, but received copious amounts of criticism for quitting mid-fight against Chris Byrd. So it will take a lot of valiant performances from Vitali before he is forgiven by the American fight media. Vitali's conqueror, Byrd, is in line for a shot against Lewis, but this man has unquestionably the most unexciting style of boxing to grace a ring in years. General fans won't be rushing to but tickets for any of Byrd's fights if he becomes champ.
Fans want to see a fighter that will obliterate the opposition. Why was Tyson so popular? Even when 'Iron' Mike fought sub-par fighters the public still tuned in to see him deliver a ruthless KO. It is clear that Wladimir is the only fighter capable of producing near flawless, hard-hitting performances that contain plenty of material for the highlight reel, while also being an intriguing character outside the ring. No other heavyweight pretender has the one punch power that Klitschko possesses. It's a boring division right now.
At this stage the Ukrainian is undoubtedly the number one challenger for Lewis' title as world champion. In the last few years he has brushed aside every opponent he has faced with considerable ease. Also, quality of Klitschko's recent opposition has been of a very high standard. He has recorded impressive, easy wins over world-class competitors. Look how he handled the awkward Byrd with relative comfort on his way to scoring a lopsided points victory. Then there are the KO victories over Derrick Jefferson, Frans Botha and Ray Mercer. All of these men were highly rated individuals at some stage in the recent past and all were expected to pose Klitschko with a lot more problems than they actually did.
This European has shown that he can handle opponents with different styles, but has not yet had his punch resistance tested. Some readers may argue that Wladimir was exposed by the veteran Ross Puritty a few years ago, but I disagree. The American may have recorded a stoppage victory over his more fancied combatant, but it was Klitschko's poor conditioning that let him down on this night. He was dominating the contest until he ran out of steam in the later rounds and allowed the tough Puritty to rattle him. However, the young man was never knocked down and did not take a significant amount of punishment in this fight. I tend to think that this was more of a good learning experience for Klitschko than a negative loss. No flaws in his boxing were brought to the fore on this occasion.
No fighter will be able to stand up to Klitschko's booming right hand or left hook and his accurate, thudding jab will discourage any boxer from trying to get close to this monster. Look at how Mercer ate countless jabs all night, along with violent right crosses on his way to receiving a brutal beating from the behemoth from Kiev. Bear in mind that many respected boxing observers considered Mercer to have the best chin in the sport, but Klitschko had him sprawling on the canvas in the opening round!
Wladimir finishes opponents in a more exciting and conclusive style than Lennox Lewis. He is not content to just sit behind his long jab and settle for a points win, unlike the Brit. Klitschko will always try and put his adversary away. The part-time fans will, in time, appreciate his fighting attitude and tune in to see him at work.
If Klitschko doesn't claim the greatest prize in the sport from Lewis, then we'll be faced with a mirror image of the mid-eighties. The 'Sweet Science' will suffer and pick up the pace on its journey down the drain.
If anyone would like to discuss this article, or anything about boxing, contact me at keenanboxing@hotmail.com
