by James Slater – On Saturday, December 12th in Switzerland, reigning WBC heavyweight king Vitali Klitschko will meet the unbeaten Kevin Johnson in a fight most fans seem to think will be a relative cakewalk for “Dr. Iron Fist.” However, this is heavyweight boxing, and anything can happen when the big guys square off. What is certain, is the fact that UK fight fans will get the chance to watch the action unfold live from the comfort of their armchairs, because Sky Sports have secured the rights to show the card live. And, with the intriguing fight being “free” as opposed to a pay-per-view attraction, all current Sky subscribers will be able to see the title fight without having to shell out any more of their hard earned cash.
Set to begin at the UK-friendly time of around 8P.M, the card may well get a figure close to the tune of a-quarter-of-a-million or so for Sky Sports 2. So, now that all fans who have access to Sky Sports can look forward to the fight, who are these fans picking to win?
30-year-old Johnson, 22-0-1(9), nicknamed “King Pin,” is a fighter many fans know little about. So far, the man from Atlanta has not yet faced a big name, and as such he has not proven his worth as a legitimate title challenger in the eyes of many. Not only that, but Johnson is no huge puncher (just those 9 KO’s) – how, then, can he hope to defeat the iron-chinned 38-year-old Klitschko?
The younger man by eight, possibly significant years, Johnson says he can outbox Vitali and use his speed to win. Johnson also says he can KO Klitschko, but nobody will accept such a bold prediction, so there’s no real point in even talking about it. Seriously, if Johnson did manage to stop the man who has never been down as a pro, where would it rank amongst huge boxing upsets? It won’t happen. But Johnson’s chances of winning a decision, though also slim, have to be addressed. Why? Because of the superb, Larry Holmes-like left jab the challenger has.
His best weapon, “King Pin’s” fast, accurate and stiff left jab has caught the eye of those fans who have seen him in action. Arguably the most important weapon for a boxer, the jab sets everything else up. The problem for Johnson, his critics maintain, is he has nothing much else to follow up his jab with. Yes, the 30-year-old has stopped his last three opponents, but before the TKO’s over Devin Vargas, Matthew Greer and before that Bruce Seldon, Johnson was taken the distance no less than five times in a row – and by less than stellar opposition.
Johnson has claimed before now that he has purposely held back on his punching power, simply because it was not needed to secure a victory in earlier fights. Whether you agree with him or not, December 12th’s challenger says he has power and he has saved it for this very fight.
A hugely confident man – as his verbal boasting makes clear – Johnson does figure to make the fight interesting for a while. Possessing a longer reach that Vitali, at 82″ (to 80″ for the WBC champ), Johnson feels he will out-jab, outbox and ultimately outscore the champion, or maybe even score that unrealistic stoppage he’s referred to. But will he do so?
I don’t think so; instead I see the mighty Klitschko doing away with his third challenger of the year inside 9 or 10 rounds (it won’t be a blow-out). But you can be sure I will be tuning on to find out for sure, just like all the other UK fans who have Sky!