RING WARRIOR

As I was about posting my piece on the David Haye-Wladimir Klitschko battle, I decided to surf the net for finishing touches on what I consider my best shot on this platform, only to be takenaback by the cancellation of the fight. That fight would have been the biggest boxing fixtures in recent times, in terms of attention and attendance. Sixty thousand capacity crowd was going to be in attendance.

All the same my hope was rekindled when I learnt that despite of the Haye Maker’s withdrawal Wladmiri “Dr Steel Hammer” Klitschko was going to do battle with a fresh opponent. For taking this decision I deem it fit to refer to the Ukrainian pugilist as THE RING WARRIOR.

Having said that and as we all know, Klitschko’s opponent come June 20th will be Ruslan Chageav. Boxing pundits believe that Chagaev (24-0-1, 17 Kos) is a more deserving opponent when compared with the Briton. Yet here is a man who is the worst culprit in terms of pulling out of scheduled fight. In fact he just pulled out of a battle that would have produced the authentic WBA king. In other words he was billed to battle Nikolay Valuev in Helsinki, Finland only for us to hear he had pulled out because of complication found in his blood arising from the test carried out on him.

Recall also he pulled out of the a scheduled unification bout with Sultan Ibragimove last year citing a stomach ailment, only to return later to face Briton’s Matt Skelton a boxer who to me is not fitting for the heavyweight class. The same man is stepping out to fight the younger and most active of the Klitschko brothers. This is hoping that Chagaev won’t pullout at the dying moment.

However, taking a critical look at this fixture seems to me like a tricky one. Ruslan “The White Tyson” Chageav is the only boxer to have beaten Nikolay Valuev, the reigning WAB king; this is a proof that, the Russian knows how to handle big opponents. He is also very much aware that this is a life time opportunity. Deeper looks also suggest to me that, he would not need to drastically change his training program. So for me he is better prepared than the IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion, who of course is out to satisfy his German fans.

Ruslan Chagaev represents Wladamir’s toughest test since Samuel Peter. He’s not a big heavyweight and to call him a “white Mike Tyson” may be a bit of an overstatement. But he is a solid opponent for the younger Klitschko. This fixture will actually show case the strength of Chagaev and we die hard boxing fans want to actually see if for the first time Wladimir would be really tested.

None the less, Dr. Steel Hammer is the favourite to win. Yet pundits believe that the level of success he has gained is because of partly the shape of the heavyweight at the moment and his size. He is no doubt the more vulnerable of the two brothers but Wlad as he fondly referred to has remained undefeated since the fight with Lemon Brewster and has put himself at the top of the heavyweight division, along with his brother Vitali who in my judgment received a gift from Samuel Peter.While some accept Wladamir (52-3, 45 KO) as a legitimate heavyweight champion, others aren’t convinced. His doubters still remember his devastating losses to Corre Sanders and Brewster and even to Ross Purity, a fight that he lost via 11th round TKO very early in his career because he ran out of gas. And the fact that he was decked by our own Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter raises some doubt, considering Peter’s recent performances suggest that he isn’t all that he was hyped up to be. Wladamir’s opponents over the last few years haven’t posed a significant threat to him and his unwillingness to step it up against Sultan Ibragimov suggests that he may be a bit gun shy.

Those who don’t have faith (including me) in Wladamir believe that he has found his success because of his size and athleticism, but if he ever faced a legitimate opponent he would be exposed once again. This fixture and the urgency to satisfy his fans may just be Wladimir Klitschko’s greatest undoing.

The heavyweight division has suffered a great deal in recent years harboring mediocre who only love to keep the title rather than fight. Until the Klitschko brothers came on and took control, it had been without a dominant champion since the exit of Lennox Lewis. The division has been so desperate for action that it seems whenever an up-and-comer shows some promise such as a David Haye, Chris Arreola and even our own Samuel Peter, the popular opinion is to put them in a major fight before they even have a chance to develop or prove themselves. If any kind of order is to be restored among the heavyweights, the division needs meaningful fights where the contenders earn their title shot and get the experience they need to compete at an elite level. This upcoming fight with Klitschko/Chagaev is a good start and hopefully more match-ups like this will follow. Hopefully this fight would produce the excitement we crave for and in all honesty only deserving boxers should challenge for the titles.