By Jake Donovan

No matter what happens on Saturday night, Eddie Chambers will always know his place in and out of the ring.

He’ll be the first to tell you that just because he’s a fighter from Philadelphia, it doesn’t necessarily make him a Philly fighter.

He has no problem accepting the fact – in fact insisting - that star treatment is a privilege, not a right, and that respect means a lot more to him than seeing himself on camera.

Today’s top American heavyweight also doesn’t have any problem telling you exactly how he will beat his opponent, without fear that giving away the game plan hinders his own changes or removes the element of surprise.

In this case, said opponent happens to be the highest rated heavyweight in the world, lineal heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Travel to the champion’s adopted home country of Germany? No problem. Holding home court is only an advantage if your opponent is that hung up over where a fight takes place.

For Chambers, the shock of traveling that far beyond his hometown has been long removed.

“We feel very confident in our third trip to Germany,” insists Chambers (35-1, 18KO). “It’s about putting behind all the negativity from the first time here (Povetkin) and coming home with the heavyweight championship of the world.”

This weekend marks the third time in 26 months that he will fight in Deutschland  - to put it in proper perspective, only one fewer time than will be the case for Klitschko (53-3, 47KO) over that same time span.

Chambers’ first trip resulted in the lone loss of his professional career, dropping a decision to Alex Povetkin more than two years ago in his lone appearance on American TV network HBO.

The fight – an eliminator to determine the next mandatory challenger for Klitschko – was fought on even for the first five or so rounds before things went dramatically south for Chambers, who would go on to drop a unanimous decision.

Most other fighters would’ve come home complaining about being screwed on the scorecards, or about the accommodations, not getting a fair shake from the commission or any other excuse to place the blame anywhere but on their own shoulders.

The first place Chambers turned to in assessing her performance was the mirror.

“Povetkin was a learning experience; I wasn’t as prepared as I should’ve been,” admits Chambers. “ I didn’t relax as much and was really on edge. In my mind, I was a kid in a lot of ways. I was in my room a lot of times, worrying about what I was going to.”

Another issue, which hit a little closer to home in subsequent fights, was his conditioning. Chambers showed up for the fight at 219 ¾ lb, the third heaviest of his career at the time. A year later, he would eventually top out at 223 lb., at which point intervention was required, despite the fact that he had scored the most meaningful win of his career at that point.

Enter trainer Rob Murray Sr., an old school instructor with new school awareness.

“Against Sam Peter, he was throwing those lumberjacks at Eddie. He came back, wasn’t breathing heavy or anything, but I saw something there and told him that coming in at 223 won’t cut it. Eddie bought into it, and for this fight will come in at 206-208 for this fight.”

It was a weight that worked very well for his following fight, when he traveled to Hamburg, Germany, the adopted hometown of hulking Ukrainian heavyweight Alexander Dimitrenko.

Chambers showed up at 208 ¼ lb - his lightest official weight in six years – for his fight against a top contender who was undefeated at the time.

The12 rounds that followed would put to rest the rumor that bigger is better. Chambers offered the perfect blend of boxing and trading, moving when necessary but also laying hands on Dimitrenko enough time to not only earn his respect, but also put him on his butt.

Two knockdowns - a standing eight count midway through the fight and a flush knockdown towards the championship rounds – paved the way for a well-earned decision win, even though one judge tried his hardest to steal the moment from the American.

What should’ve been recognized as a breakout performance was instead limited to online reports and overseas newsfeeds. The bout wasn’t carried in the states, other than via online stream, which meant that the only way stateside fans watched live is if they huddled around a computer mid-afternoon on Independence Day.

Even if you caught the fight live, chances are the conversation piece around the barbecue was less about “that fight in Germany” and more about the murder of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair.

News of the latter leaked out mere moments after Chambers’ arm was raised in victory, perhaps further proof that his career journey will forever remain an uphill climb, no matter what he goes on to accomplish.

Fortunately for the sport, Chambers’ sense of entitlement is non-existent. It’s why he readily accepts the fact that for the biggest fight of his career, the revolution will not be televised –at least not outside of Europe.

“I use all of this as motivation,” says Chambers of his inability to get on network television as well as the slow road to rightful recognition as a world class heavyweight. “It doesn’t help me that it nobody gives me a chance in hell (against Klitschko).”

Promoter Dan Goossen takes it a step further, insisting it’s not Chambers who is the problem but in fact the guy in the other corner.

“The day of Willie Pep is long gone,” says Goossen, commenting on Klitschko’s jab-jab-jab-and-grab style that has resulted in a series of disinteresting title defenses and HBO gaining little in return for the hefty price tag that came with the Ukrainian’s fights. “The fans and quite frankly the networks want to see the days of Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.”

He believes he has the horse to make that happen, but takes no issue with the network’s “no tiki, no laundry” policy. 

“I’m not upset, because it’s all about proving yourself and taking the reins from there. Eddie wants to show that he’s capable of becoming the next heavyweight champion.”

A preview was offered with the Dimitrenko fight. While some will argue that Chambers’ performance merely exposed a pretender to the throne, this weekend’s title challenger looks at that fight from a much different perspective.

“When I first agreed to fight Dimitrenko and go to Germany to fight him, the first question people asked was ‘Why in the world would you want to fight him?’ But just like Big Rob said (at the time), this was the best opponent, the perfect opponent to get us ready for Wladimir.”

It is for that same reason that Chambers passed on the chance to take a tune-up fight between last July and this weekend, always of the belief that his opportunity would come in the first quarter of the New Year.

The irony of Chambers’ title shot is that it comes prior to that of his lone conqueror, Povetkin, who may have missed out on a golden opportunity when his own scheduled fight with Klitschko was set to air on HBO.

That their own 2008 fight was an eliminator to next face Klitschko was the only reason HBO agreed to air Povetkin-Chambers in the first place. But when Povetkin was forced to withdraw from his planned December ’08 title shot after suffering an injury in training camp, Klitschko instead fought badly faded Hasim Rahman.

It was the last time HBO aired one his fights, which means bad news for any heavyweights not named Chris Arreola or David Haye, the only two heavyweights these days that manage to arouse the interests of the network.

There isn’t a set of legitimate rankings today that has Chambers rated below either fighter, yet he continues to remain on the outside looking in. The thing about being left out is, you can either sulk over the exclusion, or study every last move of everyone in your way in order to leave no doubt as to who is the very best.

Listening to Chambers and his camp break down this matchup and the blueprint for victory, it’s clear which door they’ve chosen.

“If you look at the Dimitrenko fight, he has good speed and more fluidity than Wladimir, who’s a little stiffer. But if you think you can get inside and just offer head movement and think you’ll get it done, you have another thing coming.

“My way of doing it is to make him miss and then make him pay. I want to get him to use all of his energy and then take advantage.”

The latter part is what led to two of the three losses on Klitschko’s ledger. He punched himself out against Ross Purrity and more notably in his first fight with Lamon Brewster, his last loss to date as he’s since won 11 straight.

Of course, Chambers fights nothing like either guy. Then again, it’s not about following a specific formula to get to Klitschko, but sticking to what led you to the title shot in the first place.

“Fight your fight. Most people go in with Wladimir thinking they’ll have to adjust their style to combat with his. You have to find a way to implement your style into the game. I’m a boxer by nature. Those things are going to come out. I’m going to use my jab and use my movement, just like I’ve had in previous fights, like Dimitrenko.”

The Dimitrenko fight was Chambers’ way of exorcising past demons, as well as preparing for a Klitschko fight he always knew was in the cards. Going back to Germany was the only way he could remove the bitter taste left behind with the loss to Povetkin.

“When I fought Dimitrenko, I enjoyed (the experience) a lot more. I learned through the hoopla and the pressure that you have to find a way to enjoy it. You have to find that medium to know how big of a deal it is to enjoy it. This is a situation where you make your own hours and do what you want to do.

“People pay to see you do what you want to do; you should be able to enjoy it a lot more.”

Chambers is certainly enjoying where he’s at in his career these days, but not to the point where he believes he can do no wrong. Long gone are the days where he balloons in weight between fights, or where he enters a fight at anything less than his optimal weight.

All that’s left to do is leave Dusseldorf with the heavyweight crown in tow, attempting to become the first American in more than a decade to lay claim to the lineal championship.

Whether or not the achievement makes him a star remains to be seen. But celebrity status isn’t what Chambers is after, although he admits that he’s given the full treatment overseas far more than is the case in his own backyard.

“I’m not one of those guys who is big on the star thing, but I just go there to enjoy it. One thing in Germany is that they outline so that we are praised and rewarded for being gladiators. It’s a humbling experience for me. I’m actually more nervous in the locker room, but excited once I enter the arena, regardless if the fans are booing, cheering or whatever they’re doing.”

Chances are, the majority of the expected crowd of 50,000 will be against him. Then again, that’s how it began in the Dimitrenko fight, with Chambers’ spirited effort rallying a significant portion of the crowd behind him by night’s end.

Then again, rallying fans behind him has proven to be a lot easier than silencing the critics. It’s entirely possible that even a win over the younger Klitschko will only lead to yet another moving the bar.

“When we beat Wladimir,” insists ‘Big Rob,’ “they’ll say that Eddie can’t beat his brother. When Eddie beats Vitali, they’ll claim he can’t beat his cousin. He’s never going to be good enough. The bottom line is that we can’t stop winning.”

Murray seems to take it far more personal than his pupil, but only because he believes the sport is missing out on the perfect role model, one of the few who views each scenario with a long term plan in mind.

“Our journey ends at the Hall of Fame. All of this other stuff simply builds into our plan. This is a just reward for a person who deserves it. And for Eddie, who’s going to be a great champion, he’s already a great person. He doesn’t have tattoos all over him, or his pants hanging off his ass. He hasn’t been convicted, isn’t shooting or raping anyone.”

For the soft-spoken and sincerely humble Chambers, it’s the closest he’ll come to agreeing with any sort of languishing praise.

“I’d love for this victory to make me something like Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines. I’m not the guy who needs to have the camera in his face and admire himself in the mirror. But it’s important for children to have those role models in sports, for someone to look up to and say, ‘If he can do it, so can I.’”