06.09.07 – By Jimmy Bryght: He’s no longer just Vitali’s little brother and he’s come a long way since his kayo losses to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster. The man called “Dr. Steelhammer” is now the IBF & IBO heavyweight champion. He’s beaten the best that the division has to offer. He rose from the canvas three times and won a unanimous decision over young powerhouse Samuel Peter..
He dominated and knocked out the elusive Chris Byrd to become champion. Then he blew out previously unbeated Calvin Brock, crushed Ray Austin and then exercised revenge upon Brewster in a pillar-to-post beating that forced Lamon to quit at the end of the sixth round. Other victims on Wlad’s lengthy hit list include DaVarryl Williamson, Danell Nicholson, Jameel McCline, Ray Mercer, Frans Botha and Monte Barrett.
So, why isn’t he recognized as the heavyweight champion of the world by the fans and media? Why hasn’t Ring Magazine chief Nigel Collins presented Wlad with the championship belt yet? He’s done everything that he possibly can to earn the distinction. Honestly, Wlad’s brother Vitali did less to earn the Ring title. Why doesn’t Wlad own the beautiful red, white and blue strap which is so coveted amongst today’s boxers?
Don’t you dare mention the damn “linear” title myth. To be “the man”, you have to beat “the man?” I don’t think so. The so-called “linear” title doesn’t exist by it’s own definition. In the American Heritage Dictionary, “linear” or “lineal” means, “belonging to or being within the direct and unbroken line of descent from an ancestral source.” Is that clear enough? Unbroken line of descent! A fighter who retires breaks the linear line of succession. For example, when James Jeffries retired in 1905 after knocking out Bob Fitzsimmons, he became the first fighter to walk away from the sport as champion under modern Queensbury Rules. So, in effect, the “linear” title died right then since “the man” retired. Of course, that was unacceptable to the media and to the people because boxing requires champions. So, the “title” was miraculously resurrected. Technically, a manufactured title is a paper title. In essence, common sense dictates that the “linear” championship is bogus.
With so many alphabet belts and so many champions in so many weight classes, the sport of boxing must endure the haze and stink of money and corruption. The fans, such as myself, have the power to dictate who is champion and who is deserving. We pay the bills for the fighters, the promoters, the venues and the sponsors. My argument for heavyweight champion is Wladimir Klitschko, the single shining star of a heavyweight division that has become a veritable who’s who of who cares.
Who else could possibly qualifiy as the champion? Nobody. Oleg Maskaev is tough and has a granite chin but his opponents over the years have been questionable to say the least. Basically, his popularity comes from his two spectacular knockout wins over again Hasim Rahman. Of course he has the WBC belt which, combined with fifty cents, will pay for cab fare to his training facility. How about Ruslan Chagaev? Sure, he won a narrow decision over the gigantic Nikolay Valuev to win the WBA strap, but his only other claim to fame is a split decision victory over John Ruiz, who just won’t go away. That fight was so boring and seen by so few people that Osama bin-Laden could have been standing in the center of the ring and nobody would have noticed. During one of the many clinches, an all-to-common staple in Ruiz bouts, I could have sworn that the two combatants were going to spit out their mouthpieces and start tongue kissing. Then there’s WBO titlist Sultan Ibragimov, the Russian tough guy who bested Shannon Briggs in a boring 12-rounder in June to win his belt but hasn’t fought anyone else of note with the possible exception of Lance Whitaker in 2005. I wonder who covers his shifts at Taco Bell while he fights.
Plainly, I’m not impressed with any of the other beltholders and I really doubt anyone else is, either. It’s up to us as fans to influence the media and the promoters as to who we see as the champions of each division. If I had a belt to offer a heavyweight (and I do if you’ve been my MySpace page), it would go to Wladimir Klitschko. There’s no need for any unification fights, no need for him to prove anything else to anyone. Wlad, in my opinion, has done more than enough to deserve universal recognition.
Here are the other fighters which I recognize as champions in the divisions for which I care:
Light-heavyweight: Bernard Hopkins
Cruiserweight: Jean-Marc Mormeck
Super-middleweight: Joe Calzaghe
Middleweight: Jermain Taylor
Super-welterweight: Cory Spinks
Welterweight: Miguel Cotto
Super-lightweight: Ricky Hatton
Lightweight: Juan Diaz
Super-featherweight: Manny Pacquiao (my P4P #1)
Featherweight: Chris John
Wait a minute. It seems to me that I’ve left someone off this list. Someone important. Hmmmm…can’t think of him off the top of my head. Oh, well! I guess he can’t be that damn good then.