Klitschko vs. Sanders: The Old Era Ends Here

24.04.04 – By Traolach Kaye – This month’s decider between Vitali Klitscko and Corrie Sanders has been heralded as signaling the beginning of a new era for the heavyweight division. It is in fact, nothing of the sort. It may well have been, but the decision of Sanders to retire within 2 fights should be win, coupled with the verbal re-emergence of Lennox Lewis, means a Sanders victory will signal nothing more than the serving of a moratorium on any heralded “new departure” – in fact a win for Sanders solves nothing, and should be looked at as an extension to the Lewis inspired procrastination of the last 2 years. Lewis, who lost interest in defending the title as his career drew to a close, left the division in a state of flux and has now added to the problem by claiming his “knowledge” of Klitschko [as imparted by Lewis to Sanders, all two 10-9 rounds worth of it one assumes] will be the all-determining factor in their upcoming title bout. If this bout is to represent a new dawn in the heavyweight division, then Klitschko must retire Sanders. Nothing less will suffice.

Much of the above is overlooked by fight fans who find themselves preoccupied with lesser, trivial matters. The last time two white men fought as significant a fight as this was in 1955, when Don Cockell succumbed to Rocky Marciano in 9. Much has been made of this aspect of the bout. In fact in March 1999, Rodney Berman, Sanders South-African promoter, went on record in South-African newspapers as having engaged in talks with Klaus-Peter Kohl, whom he said, and I quote “ Klitschkos promoter has assured me that an all-white heavyweight title match would appeal to people in Germany, where Klitschko has a huge following”. Strong words, yes, but the fight will take place in America, where Bermans words might be of more significance. Sanders [235], a hard-core 4-time Amateur victor over compatriot Frans Botha, is unlikely to have been imbued with notions of self-inferiority. Even less-so Klitschko, a former Soviet infantry-man. For both of these men, there exist more personal issues at hand.

These issues are well known the all but the most casual of fan and do not warrant further examination. Suffice it to say that Sanders beats Wladimir, Lewis beats Vitali, Lewis claims he told Sanders how to beat Wladimir and that he will now school Sanders in the art of beating Vitali. Sanders says his beating of Wladimir has got Vitali fired up the wrong way and that it will cost Vitali. Vitali disagrees. Probably, none of it matters. For all that its worth, Vitali is unlikely to allow personal considerations to dictate his approach to the fight and has illustrated a remarkable calmness when faced with similar situations in the past. Corrie Sanders claimed he helped Purrity defeat Wladimir, but Vitali adopted a workmanlike and methodical approach in his fight with Purritty, [Billed as “Raches Die Bruder II….”Revenge of The Brother II] stopping Purritty in the 11th of a one-sided bout. Vitali may be prone to emotive outbursts-Sanders quotes his verbal tryst with Vitali in March of ’03- but Vitali it seems is limited to spur-of-the-moment outbursts, like when he destroyed Fabrizio Spinelli in 54 seconds of a European Heavyweight Title bout, [the under-card bout to which had witnessed Wladimirs loss to Purritty]. Klitschko, clearly pumped, never allowed the Italian to land a shot of significance. If Klitschko does retain the slightest traces of personal venom for Sanders {and he does-read on], it seems likely that he will release them only after he has irreversibly broken Sanders down.

Indeed it is Sanders who will be expected to make the fast start. The possessor of 18 first round KO’s, he is the fastest-starting Heavyweight Champ this side of a prime Mike Tyson. Sanders has referred to a new found desire on his behalf and will even go so far as to refer to how the aged Evander Holyfield had retained the ability to go 12 rounds. However, it seems that Sanders best chances will be early. Sanders should not have kidded himself into thinking that a 12 round fight is his fight. If Lewis [stylistically better suited to 12 rounds than Sanders] had difficulties with Vitali then Sanders might well be best advised to stick to his early game plan. Sanders rotund form [He weighed in a full 235lbs] suggests that he has gambled, as expected, on a shit-or-bust approach.

Klitschko is unlikely to have eschewed any part or aspect of his current fighting style. It is expected that, to maximize his chances, he will fight in the same cagey, upright manner that saw him defeat Kirk Johnson last December. However, Johnson, whilst throwing fast accurate shots that Vitali ultimately avoided, is [or at least wasn’t that night] a straight sharp-shooter in the manner that Sanders is, and this is where Vitali is most at risk- to the right jabs followed by power-laden lefts. Indeed, Lewis has monikered Sanders “The Sniper”. The latent threat of cutting must be accepted, and Sanders has never been hesitant about exacerbating the difficulties of a wounded opponent. Whilst noting Sanders obvious power it must also be stated that he is unlikely to carry the stamina to punch in bursts beyond the 5th. Sanders, it is assumed, is the less well-conditioned of the two.

And that, I feel, is where the fight will be won and lost. Vitali has been witnessed in training this week, and seems prepped for a long, high-intensity bout. One notes the way he blustered forward against Puritty, awkward and ungainly in the extreme, but effective in spades. Unfortunately for Sanders, it seems unlikely that he will move Vitali within the first 4 or 5 frames. He may stagger him, even drop him, but if an under-prepared Klitschko could set and maintain the wicked pace that he set last June versus Lewis, and take the biggest shots Lewis had to offer, then Sanders should, on paper at least, have nothing more to look forward to than a fast start and a few rounds in the bank. Klitschko is likely to apply pressure in that awkward-effective fashion of his, then march forward like he did in the Purritty and Lewis fights.

It will, in short, come down to the first four frames. Five, tops. Sanders must to do it then. If Klitschko is still there, Sanders chances of winning diminish with every passing minute, much less every passing round. Even if he sets the early pace once Klitschko is still standing after that then for Sanders to win, the lasting-effect of Sanders damage must off-set the mid-to-late rounds initiative of Vitali. Sanders, foolishly and in perhaps uncharacteristic fashion has shot-the-mouth all week. Klitschko, in stark contrast, has remained reserved and verbally confined. To suggest that he has not felt the effects of Sanders repeated barbs is pure folly. The presence of Lewis will not help Sanders an iota. It has merely fired up Vitali, pissed off fans and besides, what advice can Lewis possibly give Sanders on how to beat Klitschko. By the fifth frame Vitali, perhaps bloodied, will be marching forward with the facial _expression and a set of emotions borrowed from a violent King possessed of an indolent torpor. Externally, all week, he has been the epitome of cool but it is the sincere opinion of this writer that Klitschko, should the opportunity present itself, will seek to visit a lasting harm upon Sanders. Inside he is a molten mess of anger. Yet that anger is backed up by the professional experience of 35 fights and five years of American-inspired defamation. Most of the media have been blind to it His own trainer is in the dark. His own wife probably doesn’t know it.

But cometh the hour, Sanders will know it.

And by then, it will be too late.