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

WBA Feather Champ Nick Ball Chops Down Rugged Ronny Rios in Liverpool

Published

1 hour ago

October 5, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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In his first fight in his native Liverpool since February of 2020, Nick Ball successfully defended his WBA title with a 10^th-round stoppage of SoCal veteran Ronny Rios. The five-foot-two “Wrecking Ball” was making the first defense of a world featherweight strap he won in his second stab at it, taking the belt from Raymond Ford on a split decision after previously fighting Rey Vargas to a draw in a match that many thought Ball had won.

This fight looked like it was going to be over early. Ball strafed Rios with an assortment of punches in the first two rounds, and likely came within a punch or two of ending the match in the third when he put Rios on the canvas with a short left hook and then tore after him relentlessly. But Rios, a glutton for punishment, weathered the storm and actually had some good moments in round four and five.

The brother of welterweight contender Alexis Rocha and a two-time world title challenger at 122 pounds, Rios returned to the ring in April on a ProBox card in Florida and this was his second start after being out of the ring for 28 months. He would be on the canvas twice more before the bout was halted. The punch that knocked him off his pins in round seven wasn’t a clean shot, but he would be in dire straits three rounds later when he was hammered onto the ring apron with a barrage of punches. He managed to maneuver his way back into the ring, but his corner sensibly threw in the towel when it seemed as if referee Bob Williams would let the match continue.

The official time was 2:06 of round ten. Ball improved to 21-0-1 (12 KOs). Rios, 34, declined to 34-5.

Semi-wind-up

A bout contested for a multiplicity of regional 140-pound titles produced a mild upset when Jack Rafferty wore down and eventually stopped Henry Turner whose corner pulled him out after the ninth frame.

Both fighters were undefeated coming in. Turner, now 13-1, was the better boxer and had the best of the early rounds. However, he used up a lot of energy moving side-to-side as he fought off his back foot, and Rafferty, who improved to 24-0 (15 KOs), never wavered as he continued to press forward.

The tide turned dramatically in round eight. One could see Turner’s legs getting loggy and the confidence draining from his face. The ninth round was all Rafferty. Turner was a cooked goose when Rafferty collapsed him with four unanswered body punches, but he made it to the final bell before his corner wisely pulled him out. Through the completed rounds, two of the judges had it even and the third had the vanquished Turner up by 4 points.

Other Bouts of Note

In a lightweight affair, Jadier Herrera, a highly-touted 22-year-old Cuban who had been campaigning in Dubai, advanced to 16-0 (14 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of Oliver Flores (31-6-2) a Nicaraguan southpaw making his UK debut. After two even rounds, Herrera put Flores on the deck with a left to the solar plexus. Flores spit out his mouthpiece as he lay there in obvious distress and referee Steve Gray waived the fight off as he was attempting to rise. The end came 30 seconds into round three.

In a bantamweight contest slated for 10, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain (13-1, 12 KOs) dismissed Colombia’s Lazaro Casseres at the 1:48 mark of the second round.

A stablemate and sparring partner of Nick Ball, Cain knocked Casseres to the canvas in the second round with a short uppercut and forced the stoppage later in the round when he knocked the Colombian into the ropes with a double left hook. Casseres. 27, brought an 11-1 record but had defeated only two opponents with winning records.

In a contest between super welterweights, Walter Fury pitched a 4-round shutout over Dale Arrowsmith. This was the second pro fight for the 27-year-old Fury who had his famous cousin Tyson Fury rooting him on from ringside. Stylistically, Walter resembles Tyson, but his defense is hardly as tight; he was clipped a few times.

Arrowsmith is a weekend warrior and a professional loser, a species indigenous to the British Isles. This was his twenty-fourth fight this year and his 186^th pro fight overall! His record is “illuminated” by nine wins and 10 draws.

A Queensberry Promotion, the Ball vs Rios card aired in the UK on TNT Sports and in the US on ESPN+.

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Alimkhanuly TKOs Mikhailovich and Motu TKOs O’Connell in Sydney

Published

1 day ago

October 4, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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IBF/WBO world middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, generally regarded as the best of the current crop of middleweights, retained his IBF title today in Sydney, Australia, with a ninth-round stoppage of game but overmatched Andrei Mikhailovich. The end came at the 2:45 mark of round nine.

Favored in the 8/1 range although he was in a hostile environment, Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs) beat Mikhailovich to a pulp in the second round and knocked him down with one second remaining in the frame, but Mikhailovich survived the onslaught and had several good moments in the ensuing rounds as he pressed the action. However, Alimkhanuly’s punches were cleaner and one could sense that it was only a matter of time before the referee would rescue Mikhailovich from further punishment. When a short left deposited Mikhailovich on the seat of his pants on the lower strand of rope, the ref had seen enough.

Alimkhanuly, a 2016 Olympian for Kazakhstan, was making his first start since October of last year. He and Mikhailovich were slated to fight in Las Vegas in July, but the bout fell apart after the weigh-in when the Kazakh fainted from dehydration.

Owing to a technicality, Alimkhanuly’s WBO belt wasn’t at stake today. Although he has expressed an interest in unifying the title –Eislandy Lara (WBA) and Carlos Adames (WBC) are the other middleweight belt-holders — Alimkhanuly is big for the weight class and it’s a fair assumption that this was his final fight at 160.

The brave Mikhailovich, who was born in Russia but grew up in New Zealand after he and his twin brother were adopted, suffered his first pro loss, declining to 21-1.

Semi-wind-up

Topping the flimsy undercard was a scheduled 8-rounder between Mikhailovich’s stablemate Mea Motu, a 34-year-old Maori, and veteran Australian campaigner Shannon O’Connell, 41. The ladies share eight children between them (Motu, trained by her mother in her amateur days, has five).

A clash of heads in the opening round left O’Connell with a bad gash on her forehead. She had a big lump developing over her right eye when her corner threw in the towel at the 1:06 mark of round four.

Motu (20-0, 8 KOs) was set to challenge IBF/WBO world featherweight champion Ellie Scotney later this month in Manchester, England, underneath Catterall-Prograis, but that match was postponed when Scotney suffered an injury in training. Motu took this fight, which was contested at the catchweight of 125 pounds, to stay busy. O’Connell, 29-8-1, previously had a cup of coffee as a WBA world champion (haven’t we all).

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 299: Golden Boy in Saudi Arabia and More

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 299: Golden Boy in Saudi Arabia and More

A small brigade of Mexican and Latino-American fighters gathered at the beautiful Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Their mission: to export Mexican style fighting to the Saudi Arabia desert.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defends the WBA cruiserweight title against WBO cruiserweight titlist Chris Billam-Smith and they will be joined by several other top Golden Boy Promotion fighters on Nov. 16 at the Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy and BOXXER promotions card called “The Venue Riyadh Season.”

Mexican fighters are known worldwide for their ferocity and durability. Ramirez, a former super middleweight champion, surprised many with his convincing win over former champion Arsen Goulamirian last March.

Now Ramirez seeks to unify the cruiserweight titles against United Kingdom’s Smith who has never fought outside of his native country.

“I will become the first Mexican cruiserweight unified champion. It’s exciting because my dream will come true this November 16,” said Ramirez.

Smith has a similar goal.

“This opportunity for me is huge,” said Smith. “I’ve been written off many times before.”

The cruiserweights will be joined by two top super lightweight warriors who’ve been itching to face each other like a pair of fighting roosters.

Arnold Barboza, an undefeated super lightweight contender from Los Angeles, has been chasing top contenders and world champions for the past six years. Former super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez simply wants action and a return to elite status.

“I’ve been wanting this fight since 2019 for whatever reason it never happened,” said Barboza. “I want to give credit and thanks to Oscar, he’s a man of his word. When I signed to Golden Boy, he said he was going to give me this fight.”

“It’s honorable Barboza saying he’s been chasing the fight since 2019. Now that he stands in the way for me to reclaim my titles it’s time to get that fight on,” said Ramirez.

Others on the Riyadh fight card include Puerto Rico’s WBO minimumweight world titlist Oscar Collazo defending against Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong, along with Oscar Duarte and lightweight contenders William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer.

One fighter missing from the card is Charles Conwell, the super welterweight contender they recently signed earlier in the year. He last performed on the Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk clash in Las Vegas.

Conwell has similar talent to those two.

And what about the women fighters”

Yokasta Valle recently re-signed with Golden Boy Promotions. What is her next scheduled fight? She was spotted facing up against Australia’s Lulu “Bang, Bang” Hawton at a fight card. Is that on the horizon?

West Coast venues

Speaking of the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles, its just a few buildings north of the Belasco Theater where Golden Boy was staging its club shows for several years.

A majority of the boxing media favored that location for its cozy atmosphere and proximity to LA Live. A number of prospects that developed into contenders and world champions fought there including Vergil Ortiz Jr., Ryan Garcia, Joshua Franco, and Oscar Duarte.

On any given fight night celebrities like Mario Lopez, George Lopez and others would show up in the small venue that held several hundred fans in its ornate theater setting.

The Mayan Theater and Belasco Theater are still open for business. According to one source, LA Laker owner Jeannie Buss stages a pro wrestling show at one of those theaters.

World title fight

England’s Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) defends the WBA featherweight world title against Southern California’s Ronny Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) on Saturday Oct. 5, at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Starting time for the Queensberry and Top Rank promotion card is 11 a.m. PT.

Ball was last seen nearly toppling WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas but lost last March. He then defeated Ray Ford for the WBA title

Fights to Watch

Fri. ESPN+ 2 a.m. PT Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0) vs Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0)

Sat. ESPN+ 11 a.m. PT Nick Ball (20-0-1) vs Ronny Rios (34-4)

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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