Wladimir Klitschko Continues to Reinvent Himself

Published

10 years ago

February 6, 2015

NEW YORK – Wladimir Klitschko, it would appear, has found his Seven-Year Niche.

When last the younger of boxing’s two dominant heavyweights fought here, a thoroughly bland unanimous decision over Russia’s Sultan Ibragimov on Feb. 23, 2008, in Madison Square Garden, he was markedly different, both in and out of the ring. The “Dr. Steelhammer” who returns to this side of the pond after 13 title defenses in Europe very well may be a new and improved model for his HBO-televised April 25 title defense against undefeated Philadelphian Bryant “By-By” Jennings, also in the Garden. Maybe it really is possible for an old dog to learn new tricks, or a 39-in-March-year-old fighter to add a few sprinkles and swirls to what many Americans had perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be a plain-vanilla persona.

For one thing – and this is important – there is a strong likelihood that Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs) will provide the sort of determined resistance that Ibragimov, who clearly was in survival mode from the opening bell against the much larger, much harder-hitting Klitschko, did not. As Klitschko (63-3, 54 KOs) noted at Wednesday’s upbeat media gathering, it takes two to tangle. If he occasionally happens to find himself in there with an opponent who refuses to engage, Klitschko is too smart – what else can you say of a man who speaks four languages (Ukrainian, Russian, German and English) and holds a Ph.D. in sports science from the University of Kiev? – to try to force something that doesn’t naturally fit. The wise boxer does whatever is necessary to win and move on to the next bout and next set of variables to figure out.

“I cannot make the fight by myself,” reasoned Klitschko, who holds the IBF, WBO, WBA, The Ring and lineal championships. “I need somebody who wants to fight back. That’s what makes an exciting fight. If somebody just doesn’t want to get knocked out, it’s very difficult because you have to chase him.

“There have been different fights I’ve had in the 25 years of my career. I do have different qualities of boxing and punching and, if it’s needed, of clinching. It doesn’t matter. I know the game and I know how to win, to have lasted this long.”

In Germany, where Klitschko’s popularity is such that he’s sort of a Teutonic amalgamation of American sports icons LeBron James, Tom Brady and Derek Jeter, nobody seems to mind if the strategic options available to him swing from displays of pulverizing power to technical expertise to something akin to Greco-Roman grappling, as was the case in his unanimous-decision victory over Alexander Povetkin on Oct. 5, 2013, in Moscow, a snore-a-thon that featured 160-plus clinches, most of which were initiated by the 6-6½, 245-pound Ukrainian. On these cynical shores, haters are going to hate, but in the Fatherland Wlad the Impaler can do no wrong. Six of the 13 title defenses he’s made since beating Ibragimov had been in sold-out soccer stadiums, and seven in sold-out arenas.

Seldom, however, has Klitschko’s star shone as brightly in the United States as it does in Europe. So why was HBO Sports boss Ken Hershman smiling like the cat that ate the canary during the champ’s turn at the podium? Well, it might be because Klitschko-Jennings might actually turn out to be the entertaining heavyweight slugfest so many seem to think it will be, and maybe it’s because the proposed megafight that tentatively is scheduled to take place on May 2 in Las Vegas, which was to have paired superstar welterweight champions Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, and be jointly televised via pay-per-view by both HBO and Showtime, remains, as always, in perpetual tease mode. With each passing day and no agreement finalized, it appears that Money May and Pac-Man will settle for their own Plans B, which can only serve to further alienate a public that has wearied of their ongoing circle dance. If Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t happen – again – Klitschko-Jennings has center stage all to itself.

Klitschko seems much more prepared to seize the moment than he was in previous journeys to America. The robotic, monotone guy whom many depicted as a real-life Ivan Drago prior to his unification bout with Ibragimov has, well, loosened up quite a bit. Perhaps that’s because he’s pumped at becoming a father for the first time (fiancée Hayden Panetierre bore him a daughter, Kayla, on Dec. 8). More likely, it is the natural progression of a man who seems much more comfortable in his own skin and in an American setting that has not always been accommodating to him and to older brother Vitali, the former WBC heavyweight ruler. This Wlad is stand-up-comedian funny and insightful on any number of issues, from parenthood to the armed conflict on the Crimean peninsula, to his dream of representing Ukraine in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, which could be an outside possibility if AIBA (the international governing body for Olympic-style boxing), opens the sport without restriction to pros as is now the case in basketball, track and hockey.

On becoming a father: “I’ve been watching how my brother’s life has changed. He has three kids – two boys and a girl. He also said something that is more related to boxing. He said, `As father, I punch harder.’ So I’m, like, OK with that. Let’s see if it is true on April 25.”

On the continuing hostilities in Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels who support that nation’s attempt to annex Crimea: “I am very aware of the struggle of the Ukrainian people, and the aggression that came from Russia. It is a situation that’s almost impossible to imagine, that during the day a city can be bombarded with rockets and schools are being hit, all because of the geopolitical ambitions of Russia. The world needs to pay attention to what’s going on. It’s not just a local problem. It’s a world problem. Nobody knows what it’s going to lead to. Nobody knows what it’s going to lead to. Who knows, maybe China says Siberia is ours, or Germany says part of Poland is ours, or Russia says Kazakhstan is ours.”

Of his vision of adding an Olympic gold medal in 2016, 20 years after he took gold in the super heavyweight division at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics: “That is my dream, to fight in the Olympics again, 20 years later, and to win the gold medal again. AIBA needs to get along with professional boxers. I know about the rules, that a certain number of pro bouts are allowed. Right now I’m not familiar with that. But, yeah, if there is a chance, I would love to participate. In every other sport, Olympic athletes can play professional and still compete. It’s a shame for boxing that professional boxers cannot perform in the Olympics.”

On the possibility of Vitali, who is 43 and whose last bout was in 2012, coming out of retirement to fight again: “Sometimes before my fights when he gets in, he says, `Man, this is such an exciting time, and I’m missing it.’ But he has responsibility now, as mayor of Kiev, for four million people.”

An interesting individual, this Dr. Steelhammer. But always the question remains as the pages of the calendar inexorably turn: How much gas is left in his tank at almost 39? Promoter Gary Shaw, who works with Jennings, said it is not out of the question that Klitschko will get old in a hurry against the 30-year-old challenger, who vows to throw all that he has at a man who will be appearing in his 27th world title bout.

“When people ask me what the outcome of the fight will be, I say, `It’s going to end in a knockout,’” Jennings said. “It’s either going to be me or him.’ One of us is going down. But guess what? I don’t think it’s going to be me.”

Added Shaw: “Twenty-five years ago, on Feb. 11 (1990), Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson. I believe on April 25, history will once again be made for an American heavyweight to do something spectacular. But this time, instead of being overseas (Tyson-Douglas was in Tokyo), it’ll be here in the United States.”

And here in the United States is the last frontier that Klitschko needs to conquer. It is at least that portion of the globe that he needs to reclaim for his perch upon the most gilded of thrones to be fully legitimized.

“`World champion’ means champion of the entire world,” Klitschko said. “You have to go around the world, like Muhammad Ali did in another time. I remember when my brother and I met Max Schmeling (the former heavyweight titlist who was 99 when he died in 2005). He said, `Guys, if you really want to make it, you have to make it in the States.’

“Fifteen years ago, I was fighting on the undercard of Michael Grant and Lennox Lewis, at Madison Square Garden. Was exciting night. That is the dream of every performer and entertainer, to be in main event at Madison Square Garden. There’s nothing better than this arena, worldwide. If you make it this far, it means you really made it. Frank Sinatra said it right. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Madison Square Garden IS New York. I’m glad to be back.”

If Jennings is correct – and the fight ends in a knockout, preferably of the spectacular variety – boxing can only benefit, regardless of whether Mayweather and Pacquiao continue to play their infuriating game of hide-and-seek. With Deontay Wilder the new holder of the WBC title, by virtue of his unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne on Jan. 17, the U.S. has its first heavyweight champ of any sort since Shannon Briggs in 2007. A Jennings shocker over Klitschko would again return all the belts to America, and if Klitschko is the man who gets there first with a big bomb, he again will figure prominently in HBO’s plans moving forward. That is quite a reversal for a man who, along with his brother Vitali, was all but shown the door by then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg in 2010. Asked about the Klitschkos, Greenburg dismissively said the pay-cable giant has “stopped playing in that sandbox.”

Times change. Attitudes can be adjusted. Wladimir Klitschko has now been repackaged for American consumption, and on April 25 a nation of would-be skeptics can see if the metamorphosis meets with its collective approval.

It’s hardly out of the question. Remember, Klitschko’s late trainer, Emanuel Steward, was unstinting in his appraisal of what Wlad was, and even more of what he could be if only more opponents elected to meet him strength-on-strength.

“For one-punch power, Wladimir tops them all,” Steward said. “If he ever became more aggressive and just went after people, he could be the most devastating puncher ever. I’ve trained many fighters, and Wladimir is one of the few who can turn the lights out without using the dimmer switch first.”

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Bernard Fernandez

Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez

Published

4 days ago

March 8, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez

March 7 was an unusually heavy Friday for professional boxing. The show that warranted the most ink was the all-female card in London, a tour-de-force for the super-talented Lauren Price, but there were important fights on other continents.

Brighton

Michael Conlan, who sat out all of 2024 on the heels of being stopped in three of his previous five, returned to the ring in the British seaside resort city of Brighton in a shake-off-the-rust, 8-rounder against Asad Asif Khan, a 31-year-old Indian from Calcutta making his first appearance in a British ring.

Conlan, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist who famously signed with Top Rank coming out of the amateur ranks, is now 33 years old. Against Khan, he was far from impressive, but did enough to win by a 78-74 score and lock in a match with Spain’s Cristobal Lorente, the European featherweight champion.

Conlan, who improved to 19-3 (9), absorbed a lot of punishment in those three matches that he lost. With his deep amateur background, Michael has a lot of mileage on him and he would have been smart to call it quits after his embarrassingly one-sided defeat to Luis Alberto Lopez. His frayed reflexes speak to something more than ring rust. Heading in, Khan brought a 19-5-1 record but had scored only five wins inside the distance.

Conlan vs Khan was the co-feature. In the main event, Brighton welterweight Harlem Eubank, the cousin of Chris Eubank Jr, improved to 21-0 (9 KOs) with a dominant performance over Conlan’s Belfast homie Tyrone McKenna. Eubank was credited with three knockdowns, all the result of body punches, before referee John Latham had seen enough and pulled the plug at the 2:09 mark of round 10. It was the fourth loss in his last six outings for the 35-year-old McKenna (24-6-1).

Harlem Eubank wants to fight Conor Benn next and says he is willing to wait until after his cousin “wipes Benn out.” Chris Eubank Jr vs Benn is slated for April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The North London facility, which has a retractable roof, is the third-largest soccer stadium in England.

Toronto

Local fan favorite Lucas Bahdi and his stablemate Sara Bailey were the headliners on last night’s card at the Great Canadian Casino Resort in Toronto. The event marked the first incursion of Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions into Canada.

Bahdi, who is from Niagara Falls but trains in Toronto, burst out of obscurity in July of last year in Tampa, Florida, with a spectacular one-punch knockout of heavily-hyped Ashton “H2O” Sylva. His next fight, on the undercard of Jake Paul’s match with Mike Tyson, was less “noisy” and the same could be said of his homecoming fight with Ryan James Racaza, an undefeated (15-0) but obscure southpaw from the Philippines who was making his North American debut.

Bahdi vs Racaza was a technical fight that didn’t warm up until Bahdi produced a knockdown in round seven with a sweeping left hook, a glancing blow that appeared to land behind Racaza’s ear. The Filipino was up in a jiff, looking at the referee as if to say, “this dude just hit me with a rabbit punch.”

The judges had it 99-90, 97-92, and 96-93 for the victorious Bahdi (19-0) who was the subject of a recent profile on these pages.

Sara Bailey, a decorated amateur who competed around the world under her maiden name Sara Haghighat Joo and now holds the WBA light flyweight title, successfully defended that trinket with a lopsided decision over Cristina Navarro (6-3), a 35-year-old Spaniard who “earned” this assignment by winning a 6-round decision over an opponent with a 1-4-3 record. The judges scored the monotonous fight 99-91 across the board for Bailey who improved to 6-0 and then returned to the ring to assist her husband in Lucas Bahdi’s corner.

Also

Twenty-two-year-old super bantamweight Angel Barrientes, a Las Vegas-based Hawaii native, delivered the best performance of the night with a one-sided beatdown of Alexander Castellano whose corner mercifully stopped the contest after the seventh round as the ring doctor stood in a neutral corner chatting with the referee.

The gritty Castellano, who hails from Tonawanda, New York, brought an 11-1-2 record and hadn’t previously been stopped. A glutton for punishment, he appeared to suffer a broken orbital bone. Barrientes improved to 13-1 (8 KOs).

The show was marred by an excessive amount of fluffy gobbledygook by the TV talking heads which slowed down the action and made the promotion almost unwatchable.

Cartago, Costa Rica

Fighting in his hometown, super flyweight David Jimenez scored a lopsided 12-round decision over Nicaragua’s Keyvin Lara. The judges had it 120-108, 119-109, and 116-112.

Jimenez, now 17-1, came to the fore in July of 2022 when he upset Ricardo Sandoval in Los Angeles, winning a well-earned majority decision over a 20/1 favorite riding a 16-fight winning streak. That boosted him into a title fight with the formidable Artem Dalakian who saddled him with his lone defeat.

Jimenez’s victory over Lara was his fifth since that setback. It sets up the Costa Rican for another title fight, this time against Argentina’s Fernando Martinez who acquired the WBA 115-pound title in July with an upset of Kazuto Ioka in Japan. Lara, who unsuccessfully challenged Ioka for a belt in 2016, falls to 32-7-1.

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Price Conquers Jonas on an All-Female Card at Royal Albert Hall

Published

5 days ago

March 7, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Price-Conquers-Jonas-on-an-All-Female-Card-at-Royal-Albert-Hall

Ben Shalom’s BOXXER Promotions was at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall tonight with an all-female card topped by a welterweight unification fight between WBC/IBF belt-holder Natasha Jonas and WBA champion Lauren Price.

Liverpool’s Jonas, who turns 41 in June, has had a sterling career, but Father Time has caught up with her. The 30-year-old Price, an Olympic gold medalist, had faster hands, faster feet, and hit harder. The classy Jonas (16-3-1) acknowledged as much in her post-fight interview: “She beat me to the punch every time.”

The scores were 100-90, 98-92, and 98-93.

In advancing her record to 9-0 (2), Price built a strong case that she is the best fighter to come down the pike from Wales since Joe Calzaghe. As for her next bout, she hopes to fight the winner of the March 29 rematch in Las Vegas between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan. That match, with all of the meaningful welterweight hardware at stake, would be a hot ticket item if potted in Cardiff.

Semi-wind-up

Caroline Dubois staved off a late rally to successfully defend her WBC lightweight title with a majority decision over South Korea’s spunky Bo Mi Re Shin. The judges had it 98-92, 98-93, and 95-95. Although the 95-95 tally by the Korean judge was quite a stretch, Shin performed far better than the odds – Dubois was a consensus 35/1 favorite — portended.

Dubois, a 24-year-old Londoner trained by Shane McGuigan, is the sister of IBF heavyweight title-holder Daniel Dubois. Reportedly 36-3 as an amateur, she advanced her pro record to 11-0-1 (5). Heading in, Shin (18-3-3) had won nine of her previous 10 with the lone setback coming via split decision in a robust fight with Belgium’s Delfine Persoon in Belgium.

Other Bouts of Note

Kariss Artingstall returned to the ring after a 14-month absence and scored a unanimous decision over former amateur rival Raven Chapman. The scores were 98-91, 97-92, 96-93.

The prize for Artingstall, who happens to be Lauren Price’s partner, was the inaugural British female featherweight title and a potential rematch with Skye Nicolson who would relish the chance to avenge her last defeat, a loss by split decision to Attingstall in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. Nicolson, who was part of tonight’s broadcast team, defends her title later this month in Sydney against Florida’s Tiara Brown.

It was the first 10-rounder for Artingstall (7-0). Chapman (9-2) had an uphill battle after Artingstall decked her in the second round with a straight left hand.

In a mild upset, Jasmina Zopotoczna, a UK-based Pole, won a split decision over Chloe Watson, adding Watson’s European flyweight title to her own regional trinket. One of the judges favored Watson 97-93, but each of his colleagues had it 96-95 for the Pole. Although there was no great furor, the verdict was unpopular.

Zapotoczna, who fought off her back foot, improved to 9-1. It was the first pro loss for Watson who is trained by Ricky Hatton.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 316: Art of the Deal in Boxing and More

Published

6 days ago

March 6, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-316-Art-of-the-Deal-in-Boxing-and-More

So, they want to save boxing?

A group of guys with recent ties to the sport of boxing and bags of money suddenly believe they can save a sport that is older than any other sport since the dawn of mankind.

Boxing is the oldest sport.

When cavemen roamed the planet, you can believe one tribe bet another tribe their guy could whip the other guy. Thus began the sport of boxing. There was no baseball, soccer or horse racing.

Even the invention of the wheel was still a few generations away when men were duking it out with other men for sport.

Throughout history mentions of one man fighting another man without arms are written in the Tales of Ulysses and other literary references.

Boxing will never die. Period.

Here is the reason why.

Boxing requires only two men in their underwear with no weapons and no requirement of classes in jujitsu, kickboxing, wrestling or advance training facilities. You can prepare in your backyard with one heavy bag and a pair of boxing gloves. It’s simple.

MMA, on the other hand, requires money.

Boxing is for the poor. Any kid can walk into a gym and begin training. When they become adults, then they start paying to use the gym.

Don’t let people fool you and tell you “boxing is dying.”

People have been saying those same words since John L. Sullivan in the late 1800s. You can look it up.

The phrase “boxing is dying,” is said by people who want you to pay them money to save it. Kind of sounds like the guy currently sitting in the White House who is going to save America by firing Americans from their jobs and allowing Russia to take over Ukraine.

Don’t believe these people.

Boxing does not need saving.

Why would Dana White, who has stated for decades that MMA is bigger than boxing, though no MMA fighter can equal the purses of a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Tyson Fury, why is he involved in boxing?

There is big money to be made in boxing, especially with internet gambling sites being allowed all over the world. And boxing is popular worldwide. MMA is not.

More people know who Canelo is than UFC’s Alex Pereira.

I respect the UFC fighters. They put in hard work and battle injuries throughout their careers. But MMA is simply not as big as boxing. The purses of MMA fighters at the top level don’t come close to boxing’s top money earners.

Why did Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and others quickly switch to boxing when called?

The money in boxing is much bigger.

Follow the money.

NYC

A rumble is planned for Times Square in New York City.

Vatos from Southern California are fighting dudes from Nevada and Brooklyn. Sounds like a script from the Gangs of New York.

Where is Leonardo DiCaprio when you need him?

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) will meet Rollie Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) in a welterweight match set for May 2, on Times Square in mid-Manhattan. This is one of three marquee bouts planned to be streamed on DAZN.

Others matched will be Arnold Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) versus super lightweight titlist Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs), and Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) against Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in a welterweight contest.

This is the proposed match by The Ring magazine backed by Turki Alalshikh who, along with Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Boxing, is sponsoring this fight card.

It was also announced that Alalshikh, TKO Group Holdings, and Sela are forming a promotion company.

TKO owns UFC and WWE.

SoCal Fights

Southern California will be busy with boxing cards this weekend.

This Thursday, March 6, is Golden Boy Promotions with a boxing card featuring Manny Flores (19-1, 15 KOs) versus Jorge Leyva (18-3, 13 KOs) in a super bantamweight match at Fantasy Springs Casino. DAZN will stream the boxing card from Indio, California.

On Saturday, March 8, the Fox Theater in Pomona, California hosts a boxing card featuring super middleweights Ruben Cazales (10-0) vs Adam Diu Abdulhamid (18-16). Also, super featherweights Michael Bracamontes (10-2-1) meets Eugene Lagos (16-9-3) at the historic venue promoted by House of Pain Boxing.

On Saturday March 8, Elite Boxing hosts a boxing card at Salesian High in East Los Angeles featuring East L.A. native Merari Vivar (8-0) against Sarah Click (2-8-1) and several other fights.

On Saturday, March 8, an event hosted by House of Champions features top contenders Joet Gonzalez (26-4) vs Arnold Khegai (22-1-1) in a featherweight main event at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif.

A Big All-Female Card in London

On Friday, March 7, the historic Royal Albert Hall in the Kensington borough of London will host an all-female card with two world title fights including a unification fight in the welterweight division.

Natasha Jonas (16-2-1) and Lauren Price (8-0) meet 10 rounds for the IBF, WBC, and WBA belts.

Jonas, 40, the current WBC and IBF titlist, recently defeated Ivana Habazin and before that edged past Mikaela Mayer in a win that could have gone the other way very easily. She will be facing Price, an Olympic gold medalist and current WBA and IBO titlist.

Price, 30, hails from Wales and has an aggressive pressure style that saw her win a battle between punchers with a third-round knockout of Colombia’s Bexcy Mateus this past December in Liverpool. Before that she defeated the always tough Jessica McCaskill.

In the co-main event, lightweights Caroline Dubois (10-0-1) and Bo Mi Re Shin (18-2-3) meet for the WBC world title.

Me Re Shin, 30, fights out of South Korea and has knockout power. She was one of only two fighters to stop Venezuela’s Ana Maria Lozano who has 38 pro fights. That says something. She lost a split decision to Delfine Persoon in Belgium. That really says something.

Dubois had two competitive fights, first, against Jessica Camara that ended in a technical draw due to a clash of heads. Before that she defeated Maira Moneo. Dubois has very good talent and is still young at 24. Is she ready for Mi Re Shin?

Times Square photo credit: JP Yim

Fights to watch:

Thurs., March 6: DAZN, Manny Flores (19-1) vs. Jorge Leyva (18-3)

Fri., March 7: free on DAZN, Lucas Bahdi (18-0) vs. Ryan James Racaza (15-0)

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