24.04.04 – By Luke Dodemaide: When the Heavyweight division packed it’s bags and headed into the 21st century, it was lead by two giants. One from present and one for the future. While the ageing Lennox Lewis commanded the division, Wladimir Klitschko was knocking out fighter after fighter waiting in the wings. Looking at Wladimir it was obvious he was the man, he had the speed, the skills, the size, the power and the hunger to become worthy heir to throne. These two forces were never on course to collide, more to respectfully hand over the power, from one great champion to the next.
Lennox Lewis’ career into the new century suffered one minor hiccup, a fifth round knockout defeat to the hands on Hasim Rahman in 2001, but he rose from that and avenged his lose in devastating style later that year. At 36 years of age Lennox Lewis disposed of the menacing Mike Tyson, in doing this he stepped out of a shadow of that had haunted him his whole career. Never had Lennox Lewis reached a higher point, he was now on top of the mountain, undisputedly looking over all and standing alongside the greats, Lewis was finally getting the recognition he truly deserved. One fight later, it was all over.
Since 2000, Lewis has become the past rather than the present. And now four years later, the heavyweight divisions future, the then hottest prospect, Wladimir Klitschko has just suffered his second knockout loss in four fights, the third KO loss of his career. Wladimir Klitschko, 28, is now looking over a very bleak future in the ring. It looks a hard and maybe impossible struggle to reach the dizzy heights he once looked capable of climbing.
Looking back, 2000’s present is 2004’s past and 2000’s future is now 2004’s disappointment. Without the future and the past, all we have is now, the present.
And who would have predicted that in 2004 we would have two men, one a part time golfer and another who fought the majority of his career being recognised as the ‘lesser brother’. These two men are Corrie Sanders and Vitali Klitschko, and tonight the other is all that stands in the way to becoming world heavyweight champion.
Sanders has fought five times since 2000, and has won all but one. While at a young age he appeared a man of great talent destined to be going places, somewhere along the lines he lost track. Yes he was still winning, but he was not getting the exposure or the fights he needed to step up from a journey man to a serious heavyweight title threat. In March 2003 he got that chance against Wladimir Klitschko and he capitalised. After years of frustration, Sanders banged out the highly regarded Klitschko in two rounds. He ended the Wladimir Klitschko era before it even started.
Sanders has overcome one Ukrainian colossus, but can he conquer another?
Vitali Klitschko never had the speed of his brother, or the natural skill for that matter.
But what he did have was determination and courage, and this has been the backbone alone on his journey to becoming world heavyweight champion.
Against Lennox Lewis last June, he gave the king all that he could handle.
Vitali may have got hit with a few bombs, but he stood tall and landed a few immense blows of his own.
While Lewis showed a wise head, all that stood between Vitali and becoming champion was that night was one badly cut and bleeding eye.
Lennox Lewis left the arena that night with the world heavyweight title, but Vitali Klitschko left with immeasurable new found respect. Suddenly he was the man in the most prestigious division in boxing, while Klitschko lost, his courage shone through, he knew it, Lewis knew it and the boxing world knew it.
Now just over a year later we are dawning on the age of Vitali Klitschko, tonight he will again step into the Staples Centre and fight for the world heavyweight championship, just as he did a year ago. But this time he will be looking across the ring to a different man, this his opponent is Corrie Sanders, a man who destructed and ran right through little brother, Wladimir. Now not only is the heavyweight championship of the world at stake, but also the Klitschko family name.
Big brother is made in a much tougher mould than little brother. Vitali proved against Lennox Lewis that he can take a punch, while Corrie Sanders hits hard, I don’t know wether he can hit much harder than the past heavyweight champion.
Tonight look for Vitali Klitschko to use his three and a half inch reach advantage effectively and keep Sanders off with his big jab for the first two or three rounds. This is the time when Sanders will be most dangerous and Vitali knows it.
When the real danger zone expires I think we’ll see Vitali move in a bit more, throw some big shots and land a few on the South African.
In the fifth round, I predict Vitali Klitschko will close the show and begin a new era in heavyweight boxing.
Any comments, questions or queries on this article can be sent to l_dodemaide@hotmail.com