As I wrote in my comparison of Golden Age Heavyweights vs. Modern Heavyweights, some believe that bigger is better and that a reasonably athletic, big heavyweight automatically beats a small one, no matter how good the little man is. According to such logic, the two Klitschko brothers are not only the dominant heavyweights of this era, but supposedly the greatest of all-time. This article is the second installment in a two-part series examining the merits of that claim.
Although he has never reigned as Undisputed World Champion, WBO-IBF Champion Wladimir Klitschko is the acknowledged top dog of boxing’s premier division. However, Klitschko’s rise to the top was neither easy or smooth. There was a time when Klitschko’s future was widely discounted throughout the boxing community, even moreso than the highly touted super heavyweight Michael Grant. Given that some pundits claim the younger of the two Klitschko brothers is not only an all-time great heavyweight, but perhaps the greatest big man of all-time, how and why Klitschko came to dominate the heavyweight division become very pertinent questions.
The big Ukranian is certainly not without assets. Klitschko stands over 6’6″ tall, has maintained a trim, lean and decidedly non-bodybuilderesque weight in the upper 230s and lower 240s through the mature stages of his career. Wladimir is considered to be more fluid, flexible and athletic than his brother Vitali. Like Vitali, Klitschko is a thorough professional, and as his stable weight testifies he always comes to the ring in the best possible condition. Klitschko has also mastered the classic, stand-up Euro-style of boxing, which is very well-suited to a man of his particular gifts.
However, against this it must be said that Klitschko has a weak chin and serious stamina issues, two traits that are often forgotten amid Klitschko’s recent winning streak. In 1998, a 24-0 Klitschko was giving a beat-down to journeyman Ross Puritty when, in a spectacularly bad display of ring generalship, Dr. Steelhammer blew his wad and ran out of gas late in the fight. Puritty, who still had plenty left in his gas tank, rebounded and knocked out the almost helpless Ukrainian giant. Many super heavyweights have stamina issues, and one could dismiss that performance as growing pains. This is why I noted Klitschko’s record at the time. A man in his 25th professional fight — a stage where most boxers are challenging for their first world title — should be very aware of such basic limitations and have made adjustments to compensate. Wladimir Klitschko not only had not done this, but would not do it for years.
Wladimir Klitschko was on the comeback trail when he met South African fringe contender Corrie Sanders, who promptly demolished Klitschko. Sanders could crack, but was no world beater, as he often wore a spare tire into the ring and was noted for being fonder of golf than boxing. Shortly thereafter, Klitschko demonstrated the continuing limitations of both his gas tank and his chin again in a 2004 match-up with journeyman Lamon Brewster. If Klitschko wasn’t a seasoned professional by that fight, then frankly he isn’t one now and never will be. Klitschko’s boosters, and many others besides, often overlook that Wladimir is still fundamentally the same man who showed up in excellent condition and ran out of gas or got his block knocked off by two journeymen and a fringe contender.
Dr. Steelhammer’s career fortunes began to change with a shift in his tactics, crafted under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward for the most part. Klitschko adopted his present overtly-cautious and methodical style that has maximized his advantages in height, reach and mobility. The result is that merely average opponents cannot get close enough to truly test his chin again, nor can they raise the pace to a level that might leave him gassed. These facts are sometimes commented upon, but they point directly to a truth that is never discussed: Wladimir Klitschko has no Plan B. If someone were to demonstrate the talent and grit to press Wladimir Klitschko, he would not have his older brother’s recourse of getting rough. Vitali Klitschko is hardly the best brawler in the world, but he doesn’t shrink from getting stuck in and mixing it up. Wladimir avoids doing that like the plague, and for good reason. Vitali has better stamina and a tougher jaw, and can afford to let things get risky. Wladimir cannot.
Klitschko has survived (and survived is the operative word) at the top because he has perfected his safety-first style into an art, and because his challengers have all been somehow lacking. The last time Dr. Steelhammer faced a serious challenge was a 2005 fight with a confident, undefeated, powerful and in-shape Sam Peter. Despite being a plodder, the Nigerian managed to floor Klitschko three times. That example continues to show what a guy who is motivated, focused, in good condition, and willing to weather the storm to land artillery can do against Wladimir Klitschko. Yet without exception, Klitschko’s subsequent opponents have been some combination of under-sized, old, under-motivated and/or under-talented. Sam Peter himself is a perfect example, as he actually declined in the years after his 2005 bout with Dr. Steelhammer.
Klitschko’s talents, size and professional attitude have earned him his IBF-WBO title and nine successful defenses and the status as the best big man of his generation. However, it takes a lot more than that to lay claim to being the “greatest heavyweight of all-time.” Wladimir Klitschko himself has not laid claim to such status, even if some of his fans have done it for him. That might be because Wladimir recognizes that to be the greatest, a fighter needs worthy challengers, something the current era is short of. Wladimir Klitschko is a good boxer (albeit with flaws), in an era of mediocrities.
As Wladimir’s own record clearly indicates, the big Ukrainian would find it very hard to deal with a man who had both the psychological grit and the physical prowess to get past his thudding jab with even half a degree of consistency. Such a man would either land enough leather to tear Dr. Steelhammer’s questionable whiskers, or would make Klitschko work harder to shield those whiskers, thus leaving him drained in the later rounds. Wladimir might still find a way to win, but that opponent would give him an exciting, challenging fight and not a foregone conclusion. The simple fact that no one has exploited this opening in over five years points not to Klitschko’s greatness, but to the failings of the heavyweight division.
