OnThEGRiND BoXiNG

Monday June 15th, 2009
by Nino Celic - OnThEGRiND BoXiNG Europe

On June 20th, the most important HW fight since Lewis – Holyfield II is taking place at the Schalke Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Although it was initially thought of as a unification fight, the winner will not be the official WBA champion, instead it will be for the IBF/WBO/IBO and Ring Magazine Championships and some kind of “special” championship (‘In Recess/’Emeritus’/whatever) at the joke organization that is the WBA.

This fight is surely more important than the original Wlad vs. Haye fight. Haye got this fight and ranking spot more by “being loud” (© Wladimir Klitschko), than by actually fighting quality opposition. By beating the virtually unknown Bonin (who?) and the trial horse Monte Barrett (who was KO’d by Nikolay Valueless – remember?), one would hardly have earned the right to challenge the proven #1 man at HW. In a way the Haye pull out could turn out to be a good thing… it forces Haye to actually work his way up the HW rankings, which would only serve to create more buzz for a possible future fight. In addition the circumstances give Wlad the chance to fight a man, who is widely recognized as the #2 or #3 HW in the world.

The only danger for Klitschko and his reputation is that this fight could be another snoozer a là Ibragimov. There are some indications that this might be the case: Chagaev, like Iggy, is a technical southpaw, who once was considered a puncher, but since stepping up in class isn’t KO’ing anyone. Both have changed their aggressive style to a more lurking, counterpunching way of fighting. Like Ibragimov, Chagaev will also be cautious of Wlad’s power, try to stay away from him, and jump in with fast hands and combinations like displayed in the Valuev fight.

It’s now up to Wladimir to create some excitement. Wlad 2.0 has often played it safe, using his superior athleticism and skills in order to dominate his opponents without taking unnecessary risks, or getting into any uncomfortable positions. This could also be the case on June 20th, but I think the atmosphere of the sold out Schalke Arena and it’s 60,000 people (or at least the majority of them) chanting for him, Wlad will feel the urge to create something exciting.

Overall, I think, the accusation of him being a boring fighter is way over the line, though he isn’t a wrecking machine like early in his career, he is still far more exciting than the average HW. With Wlad you always have clarity, he wins or loses by KO…only six of his 55 fights have lasted the distance. You will never see him as a part of a controversial split or hometown decision, that alone sets him apart from almost every other current HW fighter.

As a Klitschko fan and HW boxing fan, I hope that Wlad wins impressively on Saturday and keeps cleaning out the division. After beating Chagaev, Klitshcko should find himself in some kind of position to challenge the WBA “Champion” Nikolay Valueless (what status do you get by beating the ‘Champion in Recess’?). Before the giant gets to fight Klitschko though (they would probably have to drag him to the ring), Valueless will probably have another SD win over John Ruiz, in what has to be the most boring trilogy of all times.

This is another reason to root for Klitschko, because unlike Chagaev, who would probably win another MD decision, Wlad has the potential to KO that fraud and send him into retirement.

My final prediction: Klitschko TKO 9 in a technical, but pretty enjoyable fight.