19 Years Later, Wladimir Klitschko Still Going Strong

Published

9 years ago

November 26, 2015

Nobody could have known it then, but heavyweight boxing’s most comprehensive dynasty began on Nov. 16, 1996, when the Klitschko brothers made their pro debuts on the same card. Vitali knocked out Tony Bradham in two rounds in Hamburg, Germany, and Wladimir, the 1996 super heavyweight gold medalist at the Atlanta Olympics, needed just one round to blast out Fabian Meza.

And while the odds are against it, that dynasty could go on for … well, let’s just say it has to end at some point, but maybe not for several years.

In April 2014, only a month after his 38th birthday, long-reigning champion Wladimir figured he was positioned to sit on the throne for another decade. “I just turned 38, but that’s only a number,” he said. “I am still extremely hungry and better than ever. A few years ago I thought I couldn’t improve, but my mission is still a long way from over. I want to box for 10 more years.”

A lot of heavyweights have come and gone waiting for Wladimir – and before him, older brother Vitali – to succumb to the inevitable toll of the aging process, either through defeat in the ring or retirement. And while Vitali, now 44, did officially take his leave from the punch-for-pay ranks in 2013, due in part to recurring injuries and more so to his desire to help his homeland of Ukraine (he assumed the office of mayor of Kiev on June 5, 2014), Wladimir continues to inexorably roll along like waves on the Black Sea.

The latest upstart to forecast a screeching halt to Wlad’s seemingly endless reign of terror is British big man (6-foot-9 and 260 pounds) Tyson Fury, 27, who if nothing else might have the niftiest birth name ever given to someone who would grow up to become a heavyweight boxer.

If verbal putdowns were as damaging as a jolting shot to the jaw, the 39-year-old Wlad (64-3, 53 KOs), who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, The Ring and lineal titles, might be in deep trouble in Saturday night’s scheduled 12-rounder at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany. Fury (24-0, 18 KOs), a 5-1 underdog, at various times has suggested that the 6-6, 245-pound champion is a doddering geriatric who probably never was all that good to begin with.

“I will make him look like an idiot,” Fury said to ESPN.co.uk. “I will humiliate him before stopping him. I’m not going to (win on) points, I’m going to stop him.”

There are precedents for Fury’s boastful prediction. Wlad has made early exits twice – in two rounds by Corrie Sanders on March 8, 2003, and in five rounds by Lamon Brewster on April 10, 2004. He also was floored three times by Samuel Peter on Sept. 24, 2005, but still went on to win by unanimous decision.

Since his loss to Brewster (which he later avenged on a sixth-round stoppage), Wlad is 22-0 with 15 knockouts, 18 of those victories in title bouts. When you factor in his first championship reign in the WBO, the younger of the brothers Klitschko is 25-2 with 19 KOs in fights when a world title belt was on the line. Vitali (45-2, 41 KOs) was only slightly less durable over the long haul, going 16-2 with 13 wins inside the distance in championship bouts.

All in all, the Klitschkos are a combined 41-4 with 32 KOs in title fights over four title reigns totaling 22 years, 8 months. It is an incredible run, certainly unsurpassed by siblings in boxing and matched or surpassed in all of sports only by tennis’ Williams sisters, with Serena (21) and Venus (7) combining for 28 victories in Grand Slam events. Oh, some smart aleck might forward the candidacy of the Aaron brothers, who hold the Major League Baseball record for most combined home runs (768), but that is misleading as Hank smacked 755 of them.

Since that rather inauspicious day in Hamburg 19 years ago, it can be said that the only real competition the Klitschkos have had in the heavyweight division – seeing as how they came along when the careers of Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson were winding down — has been each other. It would have been a global attraction had they fought one another for the championship of the world and their family, but they promised their mother that such a fight would never take place, and it didn’t. Feel free to speculate as to how that one would have turned out; a lot of people have.

Skeptics, of course, will point out that the Klitschkos’ long period of domination is at least partly the result of a watered-down heavyweight division. It’s an assertion that’s difficult to dispute, with none of the preceding Big Five (Lewis, Holyfield, Tyson, Riddick Bowe and George Foreman) ever facing Wladimir, and Vitali only going against one, losing by stoppage in six rounds to WBC champion Lewis on June 21, 2003, in what would prove to be “Double L’s” final bout. It should be noted, however, that Vitali was leading 58-56 on all three official scorecards when the end came on the advice of the ring physician, with Vitali bleeding badly from deep cuts around his eyes.

For those inclined to go even further back to play the what-if game, you have to wonder how the Klitschkos would fare if they were dropped into the mix in the mid-1960s through the 1970s, when a golden era of heavyweights was graced by Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Foreman, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes and even slightly lesser lights like Earnie Shavers, Jerry Quarry and Ron Lyle.

But all any fighter can do is go against the best available opponents in his era, and the Klitschkos have done just that. There is one voice, though, that reverberates from beyond the grave to place Wlad on a very lofty pedestal.

“For one-punch power, Wladimir tops them all,” Wlad’s now-deceased Hall of Fame trainer, Emanuel Steward, said before Klitschko’s rematch with Samuel Peter in 2010. “If he ever becomes more aggressive and just went after people, he could be the most devastating heavyweight puncher ever.”

Wlad, now trained by Steward protégé Johnathon Banks, remains an energy source disinclined to go to full voltage. He is patient, almost to a fault, waiting for the just the right opening to let fly and frequently clinching when the other guy attempts to work in close. In America, they call such a style kind of boring; in Europe, where Wlad has appeared in 16 of his last 18 bouts, it sells out soccer stadiums. Promoters are expecting a crowd approaching 60,000 for his showdown with Fury, one of the few fighters to hold height, reach and weight advantages over the Ukrainian.

“I believe Wladimir’s quite nervous about this fight,” Fury surmised. “It’s a big uphill fight for him. He’s getting on a bit, and I’m the tallest opponent he’s ever faced. You just have to wonder what he’s going to be told when he goes back to his corner and he can’t land his shots or he’s being caught more than he’s ever been caught. I believe I’ll hit Wladimir more times than he’s ever been hit before purely due to my size, athleticism and speed.”

It should be noted, however, that Fury knows what it’s like to be floored by a smaller man, having gone down in the second round of his April 20, 2013, fight with two-time former cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham, who was giving away six inches in height and 44 pounds to the native of Manchester, England. For all his massive size, Fury does not pack the one-punch putaway power of Klitschko; if he gets nailed the way he did against Cunningham, it’s a fairly safe bet he won’t beat the count.

Fury isn’t the first fighter to attempt to irritate the implacable Wlad with brash words, and he probably won’t be the last. The well-faded (and 43-year-old) Shannon Briggs, a former WBO heavyweight champion who lost a unanimous decision to Vitali for the WBC belt on Oct. 16, 2010, has tried every trick in the book to get a rise out of Wlad in recent months, including showing up uninvited at a Miami restaurant and eating food off his plate in September.

Compared to Briggs’ semi-deranged antics, Fury’s putdowns aren’t causing much consternation to Wlad or his support team. They’ve heard it all before.

“He’s talking the talk,” a dismissive Banks said of Fury’s nonstop goading. “I honestly think he’s talking like this to get under Wladimir’s skin. Is it good for him? I don’t know. Will it be bad for him in the fight? Yeah, it will.”

If King Klitschko isn’t toppled by Fury, who then? Rangy American Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs), who holds the WBC belt once worn so long and well by Vitali? Anthony Joshua (14-0, 14 KOs), the 26-year-old Englishman who took the super heavyweight gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics? Either would be an underdog to Wlad, but then so would every other heavyweight at this time.

Regardless of what happens going forward, Wlad – and Vitali, for that matter – are mortal-lock, first-ballot inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame when they become eligible. Wlad already has entered the realm of heavyweight history; his defense against Fury will be his 25th fight as a reigning champion, 23 of which were victories. The legendary Joe Louis made 25 successful defenses (a record for all weight divisions) over his 12-year, 3-month reign, which was interrupted by World War II, and Larry Holmes retained the crown for 20 winning defenses over seven years.

It doesn’t seem likely that Wlad can keep going for another eight or nine years, but, given the current landscape, who’s to say he can’t?

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Bernard Fernandez

L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2024

Arne K. Lang

L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year

If asked to name a prominent boxing trainer who operates out of a gym in Los Angeles, the name Freddie Roach would jump immediately to mind. Best known for his work with Manny Pacquaio, Roach has been named the Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America a record seven times.

A mere seven miles from Roach’s iconic Wild Card Gym is the gym that Rudy Hernandez now calls home. Situated in the Little Tokyo neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles, the L.A. Boxing Gym – a relatively new addition to the SoCal boxing landscape — is as nondescript as its name. From the outside, one would not guess that two reigning world champions, Junto Nakatani and Anthony Olascuaga, were forged there.

As Freddie Roach will be forever linked with Manny Pacquiao, so will Rudy Hernandez be linked with Nakatani. The Japanese boxer was only 15 years old when his parents packed him off to the United States to be tutored by Hernandez. With Hernandez in his corner, the lanky southpaw won titles at 112 and 115 and currently holds the WBO bantamweight (118) belt. In his last start, he knocked out his Thai opponent, a 77-fight veteran who had never been stopped, advancing his record to 29-0 (22 KOs).

Nakatani’s name now appears on several pound-for-pound lists. A match with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue is brewing. When that match comes to fruition, it will be the grandest domestic showdown in Japanese boxing history.

“Junto Nakatani is the greatest fighter I’ve ever trained. It’s easy to work with him because even when he came to me at age 15, his focus was only on boxing. It was to be a champion one day and nothing interfered with that dream,” Hernandez told sports journalist Manouk Akopyan writing for Boxing Scene.

Akin to Nakatani, Rudy Hernandez built Anthony Olascuaga from scratch. The LA native was rucked out of obscurity in April of 2023 when Jonathan Gonzalez contracted pneumonia and was forced to withdraw from his date in Tokyo with lineal light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji. Olascuaga, with only five pro fights under his belt, filled the breach on 10 days’ notice and although he lost (TKO by 9), he earned kudos for his gritty performance against the man recognized as the best fighter in his weight class.

Two fights later, back in Tokyo, Olascuaga copped the WBO world flyweight title with a third-round stoppage of Riku Kano. His first defense came in October, again in Japan, and Olascuaga retained his belt with a first-round stoppage of the aforementioned Gonzalez. (This bout was originally ruled a no-contest as it ended after Gonzalez suffered a cut from an accidental clash of heads. But the referee ruled that Gonzalez was fit to continue before the Puerto Rican said “no mas,” alleging his vision was impaired, and the WBO upheld a protest from the Olascuaga camp and changed the result to a TKO. Regardless, Rudy Hernandez’s fighter would have kept his title.)

Hernandez, 62, is the brother of the late Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez. A two-time world title-holder at 130 pounds who fought the likes of Azumah Nelson, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Chicanito passed away in 2011, a cancer victim at age 45.

Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez was one of the most popular fighters in the Hispanic communities of Southern California. Rudy Hernandez, a late bloomer of sorts – at least in terms of public recognition — has kept his brother’s flame alive with own achievements. He is a worthy honoree for the 2024 Trainer of the Year.

Note: This is the first in our series of annual awards. The others will arrive sporadically over the next two weeks.

Photo credit: Steve Kim

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A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!

Published

3 days ago

December 15, 2024

Arne K. Lang

A-Shocker-in-Tijuana-Bruno-Sarace-KOs-Jaime-Munguia

It was a chilly night in Tijuana when Jaime Munguia entered the ring for his homecoming fight with Bruno Surace. The main event of a Zanfer/Top Rank co-promotion, Munguia vs. Surace was staged in the city’s 30,000-seat soccer stadium a stone’s throw from the U.S. border in the San Diego metroplex.

Surace, a Frenchman, brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but a quick glance at his record showed that he had scant chance of holding his own with the house fighter. Only four of Surace’s 25 wins had come by stoppage and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records. Munguia was making the first start in the city of his birth since February 2022. Surace had never fought outside Europe.

But hold the phone!

After losing every round heading into the sixth, Surace scored the Upset of the Year, ending the contest with a one-punch knockout.

It looked like a short and easy night for Munguia when he knocked Surace down with a left hook in the second stanza. From that point on, the Frenchman fought off his back foot, often with back to the ropes, throwing punches only in spurts. Munguia worked the body well and was seemingly on the way to wearing him down when he was struck by lightning in the form of an overhand right.

Down went Munguia, landing on his back. He struggled to get to his feet, but the referee waived it off a nano-second before reaching “10.” The official time was 2:36 of round six.

Munguia, who was 44-1 heading in with 35 KOs, was as high as a 35/1 favorite. In his only defeat, he had gone the distance with Canelo Alvarez. This was the biggest upset by a French fighter since Rene Jacquot outpointed Donald Curry in 1989 and Jacquot had the advantage of fighting in his homeland.

Co-Main

Mexico City’s Alan Picasso, ranked #1 by the WBC at 122 pounds, scored a third-round stoppage of last-minute sub Yehison Cuello in a scheduled 10-rounder contested at featherweight. Picaso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) is a solid technician. He ended the bout with a left to the rib cage, a punch that weaved around Cuello’s elbow and didn’t appear to be especially hard. The referee stopped his count at “nine” and waived the fight off.

A 29-year-old Colombian who reportedly had been training in Tijuana, the overmatched Cuello slumped to 13-3-1.

Other Bouts of Note

In a ho-hum affair, junior middleweight Jorge Garcia advanced to 32-4 (26) with a 10-round unanimous decision over Uzbekistan’s Kudratillo Abudukakhorov (20-4). The judges had it 97-92 and 99-90 twice. There were no knockdowns, but Garcia had a point deducted in round eight for low blows.

Garcia displayed none of the power that he showed in his most recent fight three months ago in Arizona and when he knocked out his German opponent in 46 seconds. Abudukakhorov, who has competed mostly as a welterweight, came in at 158 1/4 pounds and didn’t look in the best of shape. The Uzbek was purportedly 170-10 as an amateur (4-5 per boxrec).

Super bantamweight Sebastian Hernandez improved to 18-0 (17 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of Argentine import Sergio Martin (14-5). The end came at the 2:39 mark of round seven when Martin’s corner threw in the towel. Earlier in the round, Martin lost his mouthpiece and had a point deducted for holding.

Hernandez wasn’t all that impressive considering the high expectations born of his high knockout ratio, but appeared to have injured his right hand during the sixth round.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Ringside in Ontario where Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel Battled to a Spirited Draw

Published

3 days ago

December 14, 2024

David A. Avila

Ringside in Ontario where Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel Battled to a Spirited Draw

ONTARIO, CA -Two SoCal welterweights battled to a majority draw and Ohio’s Charles Conwell wowed the crowd with precision and power in his victory.

In the main event Alexis Rocha sought to prove his loss a year ago was a fluke and Raul Curiel sought to prove he belongs with the contenders.

Both got their wish.

After 12 rounds of back-and-forth exchanges, Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) and Curiel (15-0-1, 13 KOs) battled to a stalemate in front of more than 5,000 fans at Toyota Arena. No oner seemed surprised by the majority decision draw.

“We got one for the people It was a Rocha landed impressive blows while Curiel just could not seem to get the motor running.

Things turned around in seventh round.

During the first half of the fight, it looked like Rocha’s experience in big events would be too much for Curiel to handle. Rocha landed impressive blows while Curiel just could not seem to get the motor running.

Things turned around in seventh round.

Maybe trainer Freddie Roach’s words got to Curiel. The Mexican Olympian who now lives in the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, suddenly planted his feet and ripped off five- and six-punch combinations. It was do or die.

The change of tactics forced Rocha to make changes too especially after absorbing several ripping uppercuts from Curiel.

Back and forth the welterweights exchanged and neither fighter could take charge. And neither fighter was knocked down though each both connected with sweat-tossing blows.

The two fighters battled until the final seconds of the fight. After 12 blistering rounds, one judge saw Rocha the winner 116-112, while the two other judges scored it 114-114 for a majority draw.

“I respect this guy. It was 12 rounds of war,” said Santa Ana’s Rocha.

Curiel felt the same.

“I respect Rocha. He is a good southpaw,” Curiel repeated. “Let’s do it again.”

Battle of Undefeated Super Welterweights

Few knew what to expect with undefeated Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) facing undefeated Argentine Gerardo Vergara (20-1, 13 KOs). You never what to expect with Argentine fighters.

Conwell, a U.S. Olympian, showed why many consider him the best kept secret in boxing with a steady attack behind impressive defense. He needed it against Vergara, a very strong southpaw.

Vergara seemed a little puzzled by Conwell’s constant pressure. He might have expected a hit-and-run kind of fighter instead of a steamroller like the Ohio warrior.

Once the two fighters got heated up in the cold arena, the blows began to come more often and more powerfully. Conwell in particular stood right in front of the Argentine and bobbed and weaved through the South American fighter’s attack. And suddenly unleashed rocket rights and left hooks off Vergara’s chin.

Nothing happened expect blood from his nose for several rounds.

For six rounds Conwell blasted away at Vergara’s chin and jaw and nothing seemed to faze the Argentine. Then, Conwell targeted the body and suddenly things opened up. Vergara was caught trying to decide what to protect when a left hook jolted the Argentine. Suddenly Conwell erupted with a stream of left hooks and rights with almost everything connecting with power.

Referee Thomas Taylor jumped in to stop the fight at 2:51 of the seventh round. Conwell finally chopped down the Argentine tree for the knockout win. The fans gasped at the suddenness of the victory.

“We broke him down,” Conwell said.

It was impressive.

Other Bouts

Popular John “Scrappy” Ramirez (14-1, 9 KOs) started slowly against Texas left-hander Ephraim Bui (10-1, 8 KOs) but gained momentum behind accurate right uppercuts to swing the momentum and win a regional super flyweight title by unanimous decision after 10 rounds

Bui opened the fight behind some accurate lead lefts, but once Ramirez found the solution he took the fight inside and repeatedly jolted the taller Texas fighter with that blow.

Ramirez, who is based in Los Angeles, gained momentum and confidence and kept control with movements left and right that kept Bui unable to regain the advantage. No knockdowns were scored as all three judges scored the fight 97-93 for Ramirez.

A battle between former flyweight world champions saw Marlen Esparza (15-2, 1 KO) pull away after several early contentious rounds against Mexico’s Arely Mucino (32-5-2, 11 KOs). Left hooks staggered Esparza early in the fight.

Esparza always could take a punch and after figuring out what not to do, she began rolling up points behind pinpoint punching and pot shots. Soon, it was evident she could hit and move and took over the last three rounds of the fight.

Mucino never stopped attacking and was successful with long left hooks and shots to the body, but once Esparza began launching impressive pot shots, the Mexican fighter never could figure out a solution.

After 10 rounds two judges scored it 98-92 and a third judge saw it 97-93 all for Esparza.

Victor Morales (20-0-1, 10 KOs) won by technical knockout over Mexico’s Juan Guardado (16-3-1, 6 KOs) due to a bad cut above the right eye. It was a learning experience for Morales who hails from Washington.

Left hooks were the problem for Morales who could not avoid a left hook throughout the super featherweight fight. Guardado staggered Morales at least three times with counter left hooks. But Morales turned things around by controlling the last three rounds behind a jolting left jab that controlled the distance.

At one second of the eighth round, referee Ray Corona stopped the fight to allow the ringside physician to examine the swelling and cut. It was decided that the fight should stop. Morales was awarded the win by technical knockout.

A super bantamweight fight saw Jorge Chavez (13-0, 8 KOs) score two knockdowns on way to a unanimous decision over Uruguay’s Ruben Casero (12-4, 4 KOs) after eight rounds. Chavez fights out of Tijuana, Mexico.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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