By Robert Pengelly – Wladimir Klitschko’s latest victory over the previously unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev ended like so many before it with the younger Ukrainian brother dominating from range and slowly pummelling his opponent into submission. It was a near punch-perfect performance from Klitschko with the challenger able to land only one power punch over the nine rounds that he contested. However, for some observers, it still left a slightly unsatisfactory taste.
While it is important for all heavyweights to exercise an element of caution when they are dominating a fight, there is a growing feeling that Wlad’s evolution has eliminated the possibility of taking a risk in order to close the show. In truth, it was clear from the fourth round on that Ruslan was at such a physical disadvantage that he was unable to land any meaningful shots. At this stage it would have been nice to see Wladimir step up his assault and force the stoppage..
But that is not the real point of this article. The point is that for all the criticism of his style, Wladimir has never NEEDED to adapt his style mid-fight in order to succeed.
Leaving aside his early defeats, the modern version of Wladimir Klitschko has dominated the division for the last five years. He has modified his initial approach in order to utilise his best physical weapons. He shifted his weight further back, learnt to stand up tall and now keeps his right hand tucked in when he throws his left. All very sensible adaptations. The problem is not that this style is boring but that none of his recent opponents have been able to make him deviate from his plan. Here in lies the problem for the younger Klitschko; there is a serious lack of credible competition that can compete with his physical attributes.
Wladimir is 6’7” and 240lbs. If we consider Wlads last 10 opponents, only 2 have been taller that 6’2” and these were the less than spectacular Tony Thompson (6’5”) and Ray Austin (6’6”).
What Klitschko lacks is big, in shape, hungry opposition that can give him a real test. Wladimir hasn’t often fought back to win having faced adversity. The exception would be his fight with Sam Peter where he won a decision despite touching down several times. But that was against an opponent that was barely 6’ tall.
If we look back to the 90’s there were several big men that were in shape and had the attributes to test the Ukrainian. Lewis (6’5”, 250lbs), Bowe (6’5”, 240lbs) and Douglas (6’4”, 250lbs), all being good examples. I am not suggesting that any/all of these fighters would beat Wladimir, only that they would have provided a stern test. All three had pedigree against top quality opposition. The outcome of such fights can only be debated, never known. They would at least have had the physical ability to land shots and the chins to be able to take shots. Such opponents would force Wlad to show some heart and very possibly the ability to vary his combinations in order to succeed.
While there is a dearth of talented big men in the division, Wladimir will always have his detractors. All great champions have shown the ability to win through when facing adversity. Wladimir’s position alongside the greats of the game remains in doubt unless he can overcome a serious challenge from a bigger opponent and show that he can go to plan “B” when needed.
Whether that challenge exists at the minute is a different question.