CAN WE COME TO TERM’S WITH KLITSCHKO’S FORM OF DOMINANCE?
Pittsburgh, PA– Depending on your perspective, or perhaps your allegiance, Wladimir Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) represents the most underappreciated, noble, overly cautious or boring heavyweight of all time, or all of the above. And yet again Saturday night, in his safe haven of Germany, he somehow once again bolstered any or all of those notions with a cautious, patient and ultimately concussive dismantling of American challenger “Fast” Eddie Chambers (35-2, 18 KOs). In spite of the respect Klitschko has earned with his and brother Vitali’s dominance of the post-Lennox Lewis era, this weekend he painted a painfully familiar portrait: His opponent appeared listless, passive and, worst, utterly without hope, but he took no chances and robotically followed his methodical blueprint to victory until challenged before the 12th round by trainer Emanuel Steward to avoid “another bulls*** decision.” Long after the participants put online viewers to sleep, Klitschko’s sneaky left hook sent Chambers to dreamland with only five seconds left in the bout.
HE WAS WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS!
Perhaps a moment of Zen is in order about Klitschko, though. For those wondering why Chambers wouldn’t let his hands go in the biggest night of his professional life – or the same thing about Joshua Clottey the week before in Dallas – we should hearken the repeated phrase of boxing’s philosopher king, HBO’s Larry Merchant: If he punched more, he wouldn’t be Eddie Chambers. As unsatisfying as that answer is, it’s the truth, and the same goes for Klitschko. For those who bellow about his safety-first approach, complain all you want, he ain’t changing. And when you’re screaming at Arthur Abraham this weekend for staying in his shell defense for minutes at a time or at Andre Dirrell for running, find your inner Tiger Woods and relax, because you knew what you were getting when you watched.
YOU WANT TO CROWN HIM? THEN CROWN HIS ASS!
Though Steward’s charge to Klitschko has been lauded, the great Kronk Gym trainer’s memory seems to fail him, since he created this Frankenstein. After getting stopped in 2003 and 2004 by Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, Steward engineered a style in the giant Ukrainian where he jabbed and grabbed Sam Peter and won every minute that he wasn’t floored (three times), then perfected the prudent approach to the tune of a 2006 title win followed by eight defenses in which he has dominated almost every one of the 66 rounds. In fact, since Peter none of his opponents have even come close to winning, with the only question becoming whether they’d last the distance. An intelligent man like Klitschko still has to be confused when Steward instructs him to break the mold they together created.
THEY’RE LETTING KLITSCHKO OFF THE HOOK!
However you feel about the Klitschko brothers, it’s time we put the onus onto their challengers: As Freddie Roach eloquently stated last weekend after Clottey let Manny Pacquiao take it to him, if you want the title, you have to go out and get it. Chris Arreola laid an egg last year when he challenged Vitali, but at least he left it all in the ring that night. (And yes, I know his training was another story.) Sure Wladimir looked like a cat pawing a mouse around when he battered Chambers, but can Chambers (or Kevin Johnson, or Tony Thompson, or Sam Peter versus Vitali) look back and say he honestly gave his all? The Klitschkos’ next real challenges will possibly come from Odlanier Solis (for Vitali) and Alexander Povetkin. Both have the deck stacked against them, but hopefully they will at least fight to win and not suffer, to paraphrase Merchant once again, death by a thousand jabs. At least we know that if Povetkin doesn’t let it all hang out, Teddy Atlas’ reaction in his corner will be worth watching alone.
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Brian Gorman