06.04.04 – By Frank Lotierzo – GlovedFist@Juno.com – This upcoming Saturday April 10th, Heavyweight contender Wladimir Klitschko 42-2 will take on Lamon Brewster 29-2 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. This will be Wladimir’s first fight back in the United States since stopping Jameel McCline on December 7th of 2002, which was also at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
Wladimir was at the absolute pinnacle of his career after beating McCline. It was at this time that those in the supposed know were touting him as the man who just may have been capable of dethroning Champ Lennox Lewis. Or at the very least be the man to succeed him when he retires. He was coming off two of his best wins stopping the never been stopped before Ray Mercer, and the 263 pound McCline. Since beating McCline, Klitschko has fought three times going 2-1.
Just when Wladimir Klitschko was on the verge of seizing the publics imagination and becoming the most talked about fighter in the Heavyweight division, a straight left hand thrown by Corrie Sanders in his first fight since beating McCline derailed the Wlad express. Prior to the fight with Sanders, Klitschko was being hammered by the media for even fighting Sanders. At that time, Sanders had only fought once in 2001 and 2002 going into the March 2003 fight versus Wladimir. The reason why he was taken to task so much for fighting Sanders was because the last time the public saw Corrie Sanders, he was stopped by Hasim Rahman in May of 2000 in Atlantic City New Jersey.
I believe the hour of truth has finally arrived for Wladimir Klitschko. I expect him to beat Lamon Brewster this Saturday Night, although I wouldn’t bet my life on it. Assuming he does win as expected, it’s who he fights and how he does in his next fight that will determine whether or not he can get back to where he was, going into the fight with Sanders? Wladimir must take on one of the bigger name Heavyweights in the division. His last two fights versus Fabio Moli and Danell Nicholson have done nothing to convince anyone, excluding the Klitschko worshippers that he has recovered from being stopped by Sanders in March of 2003.
The current Heavyweight division is in a transitional period, just waiting to be seized by somebody. There is no excuse for Klitschko not diving in head first and trying to establish himself as one of the major forces in it. If Wlad is really all that, and the setback to Sanders really was a fluke, it’s time to start putting the questions about his chin and durability to rest. When looking over the current landscape of today’s Heavyweight division, it just may be that the toughest competition for Wlad is a family member.
Lets assume for argument sake that Wladimir’s durability and ruggedness is an issue. Assuming it turns out to be that he doesn’t have a truly great chin, he still may be capable of making a mark. Recently I looked over Ring Magazines top ten Heavyweight ranking (as of 3-31-04). At present Ring Ranks Wladimir 7th.
The list is not exactly murder’s row in the annals of Heavyweight history. I know the Heavyweight division has been subject to much criticism lately, but the fact of the matter is at this time it’s very pedestrian at best. Denying this borders on absurdity. Starting from the bottom up, how great does Wladimir Klitschko have to be to acquire a piece of the title? If these are the very best of the best, Wladimir would literally have to be a stiff to never gain a piece of the title in my opinion.
10. Monte Barrett: Barrett is the new flavor of the month based off of his good showing versus Joe Mesi and his upset win over Dominick Guinn. However, I’m not convinced that a rematch between Barrett and Wladimir would be any different this time. I still think it would most likely be a re-run. Barrett’s best offensive weapon is his jab, and Wladimir’s is longer and harder. On top of that, I think based off of their last fight, Wlad probably owns Monte psychologically.
9. Hasim Rahman: Rahman has not fared well in his last few fights versus the upper tier Heavyweights. Based off of his last fight against former Cruiserweight Champ Al Cole, it would appear that Rahman has nothing to worry Wladimir with. Rahman doesn’t stay in shape, he doesn’t throw many punches and is just too lethargic to bother Klitschko. Rahman couldn’t keep John Ruiz off of him, how could he keep Wlad from busting him up with his jab. Rahman at one time was considered dangerous after his lightning in a bottle shot that made Lennox Lewis an ex-champ, but that fighter no longer exist.
8. Fres Oquendo: Fres is a pretty good Heavyweight, but I just don’t think he has enough to beat Wladimir. Assuming Klitschko’s chin isn’t made of paper, Fres holds no advantage. Wladimir is a bigger and stronger fighter who holds the advantages in speed, power, and boxing ability. Wladimir has plenty of weapons in his arsenal to pull a win out over Oquendo. Fres probably doesn’t pose too much of a problem for Wladimir.
6. John Ruiz: Poor John Ruiz gets no respect. Ruiz is a very limited fighter who gets out all of what’s there as far as his natural ability. The problem for Ruiz is, how does he beat Wladimir? He’s really not a huge Heavyweight who beats fighters with his size and strength. He’s not a great puncher or Boxer. Ruiz is on the slow size and is vulnerable against great Boxers (Jones) and great punchers (Tua). Although Wladimir isn’t a great Boxer or a great puncher, he is good enough at both to overcome Ruiz’s toughness and aggression. It’s hard to see Ruiz beating Wladimir Klitschko. Maybe Ruiz could make it interesting for a while, but I can’t see him winning.
5. James Toney: Right now Toney is in the midst of recovering from a ruptured Achilles Tendon. That is really bad for him. First off it’s not a given that he’ll recover completely? Another thing is that his movement will be hindered a bit. This could be a huge problem if he’s in there with a big powerful Heavyweight. A fighter like Klitschko would be too much for a perfectly healthy and prime Toney. James is just too small, and lacks the strength and power it would take to put Wladimir on the defensive so he could go on the offensive. Toney also doesn’t have the punch to keep Klitschko off of him. Wlad could push Toney back with just his jab. Toney would have a very hard time getting into any type of an offensive flow. Klitschko has to be considered a favorite over James Toney.
4. Roy Jones: This is a fight that Boxing fans will never see, mainly because of Jones. Jones views Klitschko as not passing the Risk-Reward test. The risk in fighting Wladimir Klitschko isn’t worth the reward he would get for beating him. The risk of getting beat badly makes it impossible for me to envision Jones ever letting this fight happen. Even at that, I just can’t see Jones being able to overcome the physics in order to beat Wladimir. And there is a chance that Jones could lose convincingly in this match up. No way this fight will ever happen. Jones will not be a stumbling block for Klitschko when all is said and done.
3. Corrie Sanders: This is a fight that has many intriguing facets to it, providing Sanders beats Vitali in late April. The only way this fight happens is if Sanders beats Vitali and is the defending champ. Many would love to see a rematch between these two. However, if Vitali kills Sanders, Sanders will be dismissed and his win over Wladimir will be documented as nothing more than a fluke. Right now Sanders deserves the nod over Wladimir until proven otherwise. The burden of proof is on Wladimir without a doubt.
2. Chris Byrd: I’ve talked to Chris Byrd and know this is a fight he would like very much. Since losing to Wladimir, Byrd is undefeated and is the IBF Champ. Wladimir has been stopped by Sanders and isn’t perceived as being the killer that he was heading into the Byrd fight. A solid win for either one over the other would be monumental to their over all career standing. Again, this is a fight that on the outside appears to favor Wladimir. Due to Byrd getting a little older and Wladimir’s confidence that he must have since beating him, he must be considered the favorite in a rematch.
1. Vitali Klitschko: It’s very doubtful that this fight will ever happen. Although I’d love to see it.
The above Heavyweight’s are Ring Magazine’s rating of the worlds best. Over the last year since the Sanders fight, I’ve been one of those who has raised questions about Wladimir’s chin and durability. Regardless of what side you come down on, the fact remains that it’s a big concern until the burden of proof is met. However, after going over the names on the above list, I wonder how great Wladimir’s chin has too be for him to become one of the major forces in the division again? The only real puncher on that list is Sanders, which is the root of the debate when Wlad is mentioned.
If you go to Boxrec and see who their computer has ranked from 10-20, it looks even better for Wladimir. There’s McCline who he has already defeated. Then you have Golota who he would beat even if he gets by Chris Byrd. Golota is followed by Dominick Guinn who just may be a little too inexperienced, although this could be a huge fight down the road.
After Guinn is Vassiliy Jirov who is too small for Wladimir and doesn’t have the guns in his arsenal needed to score the upset. Kirk Johnson is next, if anyone still considers him a serious title threat? Evander Holyfield follows Johnson. I Hope someone can save Holyfield from himself and keep him from fighting again, tho I won’t hold my breath. Behind Holyfield are the names Akinwande, Harrison, Whittaker, McCall, and Moorer. In all reality Audley Harrison is the only one of that group who probably can become a serious factor in the division down the road. And in all likely hood, Harrison may very well be an opponent for Klitschko in the not to distant future.
Once again, I ask how great does Wladimir’s chin have to be in order for him to become one of the World’s top Heavyweight’s? Although I’m a hard core believer that an outstanding Heavyweight must own a great chin, in the case of Wladimir Klitschko I’m not sure that it applies? How could anyone harp on it after examining the above 20 or so names? I’ll let it go for now until it cost him again in a big spot.