Wladimir Klitschko: “When I hear those complaints, it’s the best compliment I can get for my work”

Despite the fact that Wladimir Klitschko has been successfully defending his titles and dominating the heavyweight division for over a decade, the criticism of his ‘boring’ style and hand-picked opponents is only growing. It has always been either an opponent not in his class or a dreadfully boring bout, with Wladimir Klitschko doing something to cause that.

I must admit that Wladimir is not an explosive fighter, and comparing him to the former champions who were, is not exactly a direct evaluation. The reason for this non-linear comparison being flawed is because while his ability to stand and trade is not quite there, his technical skill is probably one of the best in the heavyweight history.

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Kubrat Pulev Vows to Turn the Cold War into Ring War against Wladimir Klitschko

Kubrat Pulev’s grievances with the way he is treated by Klitschko and company are piling up before their fight on Nov. 15 at the O2 Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Pulev had to wait for a long time for this opportunity and he saw the fight postponed once due to an injury Klitschko sustained. Ever since he brought the Olympic drug testing issue, the Bulgarian is treated as a ‘persona non grata” by K2 promotions. He had a hard time getting tickets for friends – he was treated as a regular customer and advised to order tickets on-line if he could find any.

Now Pulev is at a loss with the gloves for the fight. The gloves Klitschko favors were agreed upon and those are gloves manufactured specifically for Wladimir. “I can’t find the Klitschko gloves”, Pulev says, “those are the gloves Wladimir trains with, they are not available for sale on the market”. Klitschko apparently would not let him try his and “The Cobra” still has not tried on the gloves he is supposed to wear on fight night and he does not know how to wrap up his hands for these gloves. He compared the situation to “going into a Formula 1 race without knowing what kind of tires you will have on the car”.

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Bernard Hopkins: Lace ‘Em Up, or Hang ‘Em Up?

This past Saturday night, Sergey Kovalev was able to show that his style was indeed something that the older Bernard Hopkins was simply not able to adjust to. Kovalev won every single round, decisively. While he was unable to do any physical damage Hopkins, he did deliver a statement, one advising Hopkins to call it quits.

No matter how you turn it, no matter how you realign it, at this point in time Hopkins would lose to a fighter like Kovalev every time. While Hopkins looked in shape, and showed no lack of stamina or concentration, his savior from hitting the canvas for good was his well chiseled defense. Other than his turtle shell guard, his offense was nowhere to be found.

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24 Hours to Showtime: One on One with Anthony “The Man” Mundine

Tomorrow night, Wednesday 12 November 2014 sees Anthony “The Man” Mundine (46-6, 27 KOs) return to the ring to take on the dangerous undefeated Belarussian, Sergey Rabchenko (25-0, 18 KOs) for the WBC Silver junior middleweight title at Hisense Arena, Melbourne, Australia.

Following today’s weigh in, Mundine sat down to chat with ESB about his thoughts on the bout ahead with Rabchenko.

Looking at tomorrow night, you’re back in Melbourne. It’s been six years. How do you feel to be back in Melbourne fighting in a big event?

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Sergey Kovalev Does The Job And Gives Good Advice

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev 25-0-1(23KO) managed to bundle up three light heavyweight titles (WBA, IBF, & WBO) with his one-sided win over Bernard Hopkins at the Boardwalk Center, Atlantic City, N.J. The main point of interest, prior to the opening belt, was an expectation that sooner or later the experienced oldster Bernard “Alien” Hopkins 55-7-2 (32KO) would manage to set a trap. When the bait was taken, Hopkins would nail the Russia hard enough to start the ball rolling in his favor. After all, the Krusher, according to Hopkins, was a crude brawler, whose defense was porous, someone ready to be exploited.

The main reason or interest in the fight was Hopkins’ advanced age, and that carried through, even thought the ring action was one-sided. But, unlike other one-sided affairs, there remained the faint hope in the wily old fox. Might he once again shock the boxing world? The odds were against it. The likelihood of an upset grew even fainter when Philly’s own went down from a glancing right hand in the first round. The question of whether Krusher could hurt the veteran was answered.

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The “Krusher” debunks “The Alien” – a dream match come true or a round by round chronicle of defeat foretold

The pre-fight build up and the suspense had obviously gotten to both Sergey Kovalev and Bernard Hopkins as they showed uncharacteristic body language while waiting for the opening bell on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Kovalev was unusually restless and had an urgent expression while Hopkins’s face was hidden behind his new mask but he looked artificial and stiff walking aimlessly around the ring. Hopkins tried too hard to appear nonchalant and refused to touch gloves with Kovalev who tried to show respect to the veteran but cared little for his mind games.

Round 1- timing is of the essence. Kovalev lost all respect after the bell, he took center ring and stalked Hopkins who openly refused to engage and started trying to buy time while conserving energy. “The Krusher” did not rush forward; he gave Hopkins the courtesy of “feeling him out”, adjusting the range and testing his reflexes. Midway through the round Kovalev’s demeanor changed, he raised his head from behind the guard, his expression softened and he started “walking in the park”, it was his fight already and he knew the reason.

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Kovalev Grounds “The Alien”

All that Remains is a Win vs. Stevenson to Unify the Light Heavyweight Division

By Justin Jones and Paul “Paparazzi” Jones | Photo © Paul “Paparazzi” Jones – Atlantic City, NJ – Many questioned whether WBO champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) could defeat future Boxing Hall of Famer and former WBA/IBF champ Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) in a Light Heavyweight unification bout. People pointed to Kovalev’s limited competition, the lack of a signature win, and a sizeable gap in experience between the two.

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Hopkins vs Kovalev: Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Official Prediction!

In only a few hours, fight fans around the world will get a chance to see potential history as the legendary Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2, 32KOs) takes on the very dangerous Sergey Kovalev (25-0, 23KOs). Few in the sport have stepped up to take such a challenge. Weeks away from age 50, one warrior took the bout without flinching. For Kovalev, a resume short on credibility has led to many questions. Most which will be answered by the final bell. As we prepare for this showdown, we’ll take a look at “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and an “Official Prediction”:

BERNARD HOPKINS – KEYS TO VICTORY

For Hopkins, this is a very dangerous fight. Rarely has ever been hit flush, but it’s even more rare to see him hit often. Kovalev has been trained to attack without fear. Hopkins wasn’t able to get in his head with pre-fight antics, but fans can expect that to change in the ring. Hopkins is known for setting traps and frustrating an opponent early with clinches and a cunning defense. He will need to bait Kovalev and get him to open up, taking that opportunity to countershot with precision punches, mainly his patented lead right hand. This will make Kovalev hesitant to fire. If Hopkins can frustrate Kovalev early, the entire dynamics of the fight changes, and Hopkins can cruise to victory.

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Dahou vows to win WBC youth title for Groupe Benhamadi and Algerians

The countdown has begun to the epic boxing battle in Algeria on December 19 when world title chasing home boy, Djamel Dahou squares off against Mexican Daniel Valenzuela for the vacant WBC Youth Interim Welterweight title.

Such is the huge support for undefeated Dahou (12-0, 11 KOs) in his country he has vowed to personally undertake the mission to put Algeria’s name on the map of world boxing, beginning with victory over Valenzuela next month.

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Bernard Hopkins – pushing the limits and defying the odds in challenging Sergey Kovalev

Hopkins has crammed himself into a tight spot and eve his most optimistic fans will hardly be at ease on Saturday night. This should be a simple fight from strategic point of view and a straightforward game plan for both boxers. The clash of styles is almost a stereotype and you can’t really surprise Hopkins with a move unless you put him down and you won’t make Kovalev hesitate unless you take his best shots and remain on your feet.

Hopkins prides himself in his mental game and “secret service” approach in studying his opponent’s intimate personal traits and sniffing out weaknesses. Knowing every dirty trick in the book and blindsiding referees could work when he is evenly matched and needs to unsettle an opponent. Antics and tricks aside, there is no gimmick against functional speed and ambidextrous power.

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