-As Vitali Klitschko prepares for his WBC defense against challenger Shannon Briggs, are fans getting what they deserve and what do we have to look forward to in boxing’s flagship division?-
Things could have been so good for heavyweight boxing. In the form of the imposing, stern, chillingly impassive Klitschko brothers, the division was supplied with the perfect bad guys. ‘Dr Ironfist’ (Vitali) and ‘Dr Steelhammer’ (Wladimir) naturally fit the eastern European stereotype in terms of personality and physical specimens; they resemble Ivan Drago from Rocky. But where’s Rocky?
While younger brother Wladimir (34) is set to take on Sam Peter in a rematch on September 11th, which is expected to be a more straightforward task for the improved Klitschko than the first affair which saw him hit the canvas three times, the older and bigger brother, Vitali (39), fights Shannon Briggs on October 16th.
With Vitali looking invincible ever since his loss to Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis due to terrible lacerations around his eyes (Vitali was ahead on the scorecards at the time) in 2003, the boxing world has been crying out for someone to challenge the Ukrainian.
Stylistically Vitali (like his younger sibling) does not capture the imagination. He doesn’t destroy opponents like a prime Tyson, he jabs their heads off and breaks their resolve without letting them get inside his imposing reach before eventually knocking them out (as he has done in 38 out of 40 of his wins) in an almost systematic fashion.
The lack of worthy contenders to Vitali Klitschko, coupled with this style, has left fans of boxing turning away from the division which traditionally attracts the most attention. Right now boxing needs superstars to give it a recovery injection that will ignite excitement. Outside of Mayweather vs Pacquiao, it should be the heavyweight division where this can happen, as it always has done in the past… but can it again?
Shannon Briggs (38) is not going to be the man to set the sport alight. The big man from New York who was recently renamed as “Shannon ‘where’s my asthma pump’ Briggs” by the ever ready to talk British heavyweight contender David Haye, has been a decent fighter but never a contender for being an actual superstar. He has been shown up in the past, most recently by Sultan Ibragimov in March 2007, in a fight for the WBO belt that Briggs held, as a sluggish, one dimensional fighter.
Although he has undoubted power (the most 1st round knockouts of any heavyweight champion in the history of the sport with 31, including his last three victims), he has never proven himself at the top level and instead has boosted his record by fighting outmatched opponents. His last significant victory came in 2006 when he won the WBO title in a bout with Sergiy Liakhovich, this came courtesy of a 12th round KO after a lackluster previous 11 rounds saw him behind on all the scorecards.
While Vitali talks up his opponent (you know something is up when a champion has to promote the challenger) as being experienced and a dangerous puncher, it is hard for anyone to really vindicate this as a competitive fight. Unless Vital has suddenly aged, he will box Briggs’ head off and then finish him off in the mid to late rounds. Although, of course, if Briggs is brave and really goes for it, then Vitali may finish him early – this is unlikely as Briggs will most likely go into damage limitation mode so that when the fight is over he can enjoy his pay day, just like most others who face the big Ukrainian.
Briggs has spouted the usual mantra of promising to “take the fight to him”, although it seems unlikely that ‘The Cannon’ will get anywhere near the champ. In addition, many fans won’t go anywhere near this matchup, instead asking the question of shouldn’t one of the torchbearers for the flagship division of the sport should be doing more for the sweet science?
In Germany the Klitschko bros can do no wrong and a massive TV audience of around 10 million will tune in to watch the fight, while the O2 World Arena in Hamburg, Germany will most likely be full of 16,000 pro Klitschko fans. So in his comfort zone of Germany, Klitschko can hide away from the pressure and frustration exhumed by boxing fans demanding and craving an exciting heavyweight division. Boxing haven HBO has seemingly turned its back on the Klitschkos, barring one of the few, big time fights that the division could offer.
The current monotony of the most notorious division in boxing is not completely Vitali Klitschko’s fault though. Who has he had to fight in recent years? Contenders have come and gone with none being able to force a spectacle worth remembering against ‘Dr Ironfist’.
Fights with David Haye fell through for both brothers. Meanwhile, perhaps one of the Klitschko brothers should have faced off with Russian giant Nikolay Valuev, which would have at least been an interesting sideshow spectacle. But the point remains that there is a lack of talent – and perhaps more crucially American talent – in the heavyweight division which has been to the detriment to the sport as a whole.
Klitschko vs Briggs is not acceptable and won’t capture the imagination of many outside of Germany and Eastern Europe. What would though in this crucial weight class? A Klitschko against Alexander Povetkin? Yes, but Teddy Atlas, Povetkin’s trainer, doesn’t think his man is ready yet. A match up with Tomasz Adamek? Yes, but seemingly the Pole based in Newark is still building up to a challenge against the brothers. A showdown with the ‘Hayemaker’? Yes, but they need to sort out their differences on the negotiating table first.
Prior to his easy win over Albert Sosnowski in his last outing, Vitali pondered that “There are no big names out there, so we wait on a new generation to emerge”. He does have a point. But many fans have already turned away from the sport and more will soon as patience continues to run thin.
For Vitali, time is running out to really put his fist print on the history of the sport. As Cus D’amato once said; “To be successful a fighter must not only win but he must win in an exciting manner”. For this to happen for Vitali, he needs an exciting fight with a worthy contender. Perhaps, with the likes of Adamek, Haye and Povetkin priming themselves for an attack at the brothers in 2011, fans who have stuck around will finally get what they and the sport need – real excitement in the division that matters the most.
