Banks on His Six-Year Stretch With The Klitschkos

By Lem Satterfield

Over the six-year stretch during which WBO, IBF and IBO champion, Wladimir Klitschko, has been undefeated, it has been a well-known fact that the 6-foot-6, 244-pound Ukrainian-born heavyweight has benefitted from the presence of trainer Manny Steward.
 
But what may not be so well known is the fact that Klitschko's chief sparring partner during that time has been none other than Johnathon Banks, a 27-year-old heavyweight prospect from Detroit, Mich.
 
"I get all kinds of redicule from people. They say, 'How can you do that? America is searching for a heavyweight champion, and you're constantly going outside of America and getting these Klitschkos ready for their fights,'" said Banks, who also serves as sparring partner for Wladimir's brother, 38-year-old Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 knockouts), the WBC titlist.
 
"I've been the chief sparring partner and no one has been able to come into the camp and out-do what I've been doing. They may almost match it, or something, but they will never out-do me," said Banks. "Our relationship, I guess, is the same way that Larry Holmes stood in there and went back and forth with Muhammad Ali. He was just really eager to learn, and so am I."
 
Wladimir Klitschko last tasted defeat in April of 2004 when he was knocked out in the fifth-round by American Lamon Brewster of Los Angeles. Since then Klitschko has won 12 consecutive times, stopping nine of his rivals along the way.
 
On March 20, with five seconds left, the 33-year-old Kltschko (54-3, 48 knockouts) scored his fourth straight knockout over previously, once-beaten, Philadelphia challenger, "Fast" Eddie Chambers (35-2, 28 KOs).
 
Chambers was the eighth American Klitschko has beaten during his run, joining Byrd, Brewster, Davarryl Williamson, Calvin Brock, Ray Austin, Tony Thompson and former world champion, Hasim Rahman.
 
"The funning thing about it is that a lot of people look at me and say that they don't get it. 'How have I been Wladimir Klitschko's chief sparring partner for all of this time and he's been successful?'" said the 6-3 Banks, who weighed 224.5 pounds for his last fight.
 
"Yet, it's true that every camp that he's ever had me in, which started from Davarryl Williamson to his last opponent, Eddie Chambers, Wladimir has been successful in because he keeps good sparring in," said Banks. "You have to give credit to Manny Steward for teaching Wladimir different things, but I think that he's gotten the rhythm of American fighters from an American fighter, which is me."
 
Klitschko scored knockouts against Chambers, Byrd, Brewster, Brock, Austin, Thompson and Rahman, with Williamson losing a fifth-round, technical decision.
 
"The most awkward part about if for European and foreign fighters coming over to America has been that we always look better than them because of our ryhthm," said Banks.
 
"The majority of them -- and what I'm really talking about is the black fighters -- we have a certain rhythm that we fight with," said Banks. "And if you can't get with that ryhthm, then you're going to get out-boxed and out-worked every day of the week."
 
Banks (24-1, 17 KOs)has not suffered defeat since February of 2009, when he was stopped in the eighth round in his failed bid to win the IBF cruiserweight crown from Tomasz Adamek. Banks has won four consecutive fights, three of them by knockout, including the past two straight.
 
Banks will face 33-year-old Jason Gavern (19-7-3, eight KOs) on the May 29, undercard of Vitali Klitschko against 31-year-old Albert Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KOs) Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
 
Banks is coming off of a sixth-round knockout of Travis Walker (34-4-1, 28 KOs) on the Klitschko-Chambers undercard in ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
 
"With the Klitschkos, I'm just like a sponge. I try to pick up everything and learn everything that I can," said Banks, who admits that he has a running joke with the Klitschkos about some day becoming an American heavyweight  champion.
 
"But when we fight in Germany, we pack a 62,000-seat arena, and I'm the only one in the crowd that's not shouting 'U.S.A.,'" said Banks. "I get rediculed about it, sometimes, but you know what? That's my home, and my support is with Wladimir."

Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor for AOL FanHouse and the news editor for BoxingScene.com