By Mark Vester
The promoter of Eddie Chambers, Dan Goossen, was shocked to read a news brief on BoxingScene.com where the Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, were having a verbal battle over which of them will get the first crack at WBA champion David Haye.
"I told my brother, 'I want to fight Haye', but he said no, he wants to fight him. For him it is personal, but for me I want the title. My brother already has two but I have to clear it with him. I really hope he listens to his older brother," Vitali said.
What shocked Goossen is the fact that both brothers have yet to step in the ring with their upcoming opponents. Vitali defends the WBC title against Albert Sosnowski on May 29 and Wladimir will try to retain the WBO/IBF/IBO titles when he meets Eddie Chambers on March 20.
"I was flabbergasted hearing them haggling over who will fight Haye next especially considering they are acting as if their upcoming fights are just walkovers, fait accompli. Well in Vitali's case, this would be an accurate position, he knows what limitations his next opponent has but will do his best of selling his fans on how deserving his opponent is and this could be his final fight if he loses and it will be well worth the price of admission. It works in Germany, but not in America," Goossen said to BoxingScene.com.
"Where I do take offense is with Wladimir who is mimicking his brother. The difference, Wladimir has a fight on his hands. He’ll be in the opposite corner of a very motivated, hungry, strong and talented heavyweight challenger in Eddie Chambers and to look past him as he is doing is the best news I can get. Eddie will show Wladimir the difference when they enter the ring on March 20."
Goossen doesn't think the in-ring styles of the Klitschko brothers are winning over the American public. He sees a safety-first approach by both of them and the American public has not embraced them as a result.
"Unfortunately, Wladimir and Vitali have not emulated any of the great heavyweight champions from years past. It's one of the main reasons American fans haven't open up their arms to them. You can't win fans over by playing a four-corner offense in boxing. In other words, although very effective, Vitali never chose to engage in a real fight with Chris Arreola, instead taking the path of least resistance by moving away effectively with his jab. It got the job done, but didn't win him any fans in America," Goossen said.
"As for Wladimir, it's more the same with an added twist; grab and hug at the closest sign of danger. I believe there are rules against excessive holding, isn't there?"
He doesn't lay the blame fully on the Klitschkos. Goossen blames the officials for allowing fighters to get away with excessive holding. He thinks the referees should take action by taking away points when a fighter continues to hold throughout a fight.
"One of the best examples of a referee not tolerating hugging and holding was a job done by a relatively unknown official. The fight was in January 2009 in Mississippi between Andre Berto and Luis Collazo, two world champions. But the fighters world class credentials didn't prevent the referee, Keith Hughes, from turning a bout of excessive holding into one of back and forth fighting, much to the delight of the fans and viewers watching on television. Running and holding are not attributes that boxing fans cherish," Goossen said.
He wants the Klitschko brothers to forget the "coin toss" that decides which of them will fight David Haye - because Chambers will prevent that from happening.
"What happens when Eddie shocks the world, especially the Klitschko world, with a victory? Tune in on March 20 because there will be no coin flip between the brothers as they profess, because the only thing that will be flipping will be the older Klitschko flipping out when Chambers takes the belts from his brother!" - Goossen said.
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com
