by James Slater – Oh, how things have changed in the heavyweight division, especially from an American standpoint. Years ago, with U.S big men pretty much dominating the glamour division of the sport, it would have been unheard of for a big, genuine world heavyweight title fight to have not been shown live on one American TV network or another. But this is what is happening with the fast approaching Ring magazine title, IBF title and WBO heavyweight title fight between champ Wladimir Klitschko and Philadelphia’s “Fast” Eddie Chambers.
Ringtv.com reports how no U.S T.V coverage is scheduled, and as such it seems only fans in Europe will be able to tune in live to the show in Germany. Is this how little the networks think of Chambers and his chances of pulling off a win? And if the lack of T.V coverage is down to the poor chances execs at HBO and the like are giving Chambers, won’t these influential folk look silly if the once-beaten slickster manages to score the upset?
Thankfully, my desire to see the fight (and the desire of the other fans here in the UK who wish to see if Chambers can pull it off) will be fulfilled – thanks, not to SKY Sports, but to Primetime. For a fee, we Brits will be able to catch the action. Will we wind up seeing a much greater fight than the U.S TV masters expect, and will you guys in America be missing out?
Though Klitschko has to be seen as a pretty big favourite, it would be no Douglas-Tyson if the vastly underrated Chambers were to pull off a win. Massively determined to win (check out “Fast Eddie’s” interview with Ringtv.com), having recently proved his desire by dropping a significant amount of weight (from 223 to 208) and also having recently scored his career-best win, Chambers, the younger man by six years, cannot be written off. Faster than the bigger and more powerful Klitschko, Chambers knows he has to fight his fight and not be bullied; as he did when all but dominating the sizeable Alexander Dimitrenko in his last visit to Germany, back in July . If he can do so, and if he does not suffer whatever it was that lead him to stop fighting against Alexander Povetkin after he’d looked good and won the early rounds of the fight that remains his solitary pro setback, Chambers will at the very least make things interesting.
Two other factors that could serve Chambers well (and which also make it more of a puzzler as to why there will be no U.S T.V coverage) are Wladimir’s surgery-requiring shoulder injury and his recent idleness that has gone along with it. Has Chambers timed it just right in getting this fight, and has there not been a better time since a long while for a capable boxer to beat Klitschko?
In no way would I want to miss this fight, as I see the March 20th bout as nothing but a hugely intriguing, not to mention pretty tough to predict, heavyweight title fight. And Klitschko and Chambers will contest the “real” heavyweight title, after all; with “Dr. Steel Hammer” holding the prestigious Ring belt.
With so much on the line and with Chambers being a very “live” underdog indeed, the March 20th fight surely deserves better treatment in the country of the challenger than that which it looks like getting?