By Cliff Rold
Bigger has rarely been better in Boxing even if it’s sold more tickets. There were though days when the best of the Heavyweights could compete for the hearts of Boxing fans along with the best of their smaller compadres.
We’re not living through those days right now, particularly since the 2003 retirement of Lennox Lewis. That doesn’t mean it’s been all bad. Heavyweight has provided some excellent brawls in recent years. Lamon Brewster-Serguei Lyakhovich, Sam Peter-Jameel McCline and even Oleg Maskaev-Hasim Rahman II were solid prizefights.
32-year old Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KO) of the Ukraine wasn’t in any of those fights. Regardless, he’s the presumptive best Heavyweight in the world, the IBF and WBO titleholder facing his sixth legitimate top ten contender in his last seven fights. Six is 36-year old Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KO) of Washington, DC on a welcome HBO afternoon broadcast (4:30 PM EST/1:30 PST). Does Thompson have a shot?
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: Klitschko is the faster man, and his punches are delivered with a snap Thompson just doesn’t have. Adding danger, his tremendous size (almost 6’7 with an 81-inch reach) allows for him to snap those shots off from a range most fighters can’t fathom. Thompson’s strength in hoping to offset some of Klitschko’s speed is that, while Klitschko may get off quicker, it is Thompson who is the more relaxed and fluid fighter. Beyond a hard, classic 1-2 combination, when it gets into putting together a 4, 5 or 6 punch flurry, Thompson is more natural. Thompson also snaps short hooks to the body inside without sacrificing his head. His problem will be finding spots to fire after he finds a way past the jab. Pre-Fight Grades: Klitschko B+; Thompson B
Power: Punches in bunches will be the southpaw Thompson’s best hope to hurt Klitschko because one punch power isn’t his game. In his recent bout with Luan Krasniqi, he won by an accumulation of accurate shots and strong activity but Krasniqi was already faded and never on the level of Klitschko. Perhaps he can take solace in knowing that Klitschko’s most devastating loss came to a southpaw in Corrie Sanders, but Thompson doesn’t blast like the South African. Klitschko does have single shot power, and in a big way. He almost dropped Sam Peter in the twelfth round of their fight with a single hook; he one-punch stopped Calvin Brock and Ray Austin; and Klitschko obliterated Chris Byrd in their rematch. The only thing that keeps opponents up often is Klitschko himself who, perhaps fearing for his questionable chin, will resist engagement. Anyone who started watching his last fight against Sultan Ibragimov in February, and woke up to find Klitschko had won, knows what I mean. Pre-Fight Grades: Klitschko A; Thompson B-
Defense: This is where the Klitschko-Thompson fight could get real ugly, real fast, for a real long time. Klitschko’s defense lately has been to step, or lean, back from his foes after jabbing off the back foot and then clinching and spinning. Thompson often fights with earmuffs, his arms and hands held high with his gloves often pointed out to catch incoming blows and look for counters. One of the few men who can almost look Klitschko in the eye at 6’5 (and also with an 81-inch reach), he also steps and/or leans back from punches to allow his size to create gaps. It can be dull to watch, and produce interminable inaction, but it has been effective for both men. Pre-Fight Grades: Thompson B+; Klitschko B+
Intangibles: Klitschko is clearly the best fighter Thompson has yet faced, but how good is Klitschko really? The feeling that he could lose at any time, brought about by disastrous outings against mediocre lights like Ross Purrity, Sanders, and in the first fight with Brewster (and he’s been on the floor against Peter, DaVarryl Williamson and journeyman Steve Pannell), is palpable. Will Thompson relax or tense up in his big moment? And can he take a shot from an elite offensive force like Klitschko? There’s just not enough evidence for an answer. We know he’s been mentally tough enough to go undefeated since dropping his fifth fight in 2000, maintain that toughness even as big names pretended he didn’t exist. Klitschko has shown enough character to come back from losses, but he also carries evident scars in his posture from previous embarrassments. He survived being dropped thrice by Peter in 2005, but he was mentally prepared for the power. If Thompson hurts him unexpectedly, could he unravel? Pre-Fight Grades: Thompson B; Klitschko B
The Pick: This isn’t a fight spawning much water cooler chatter and why would it? Many loyal readers have had to hit YouTube this week just to be sure they know who Thompson is. They’ll know one way or another on Saturday. He could score the upset just as easily as play the part of knockout victim.
Right now, the buzz at Heavyweight in the States is a hoped for second showdown between Wladimir and Peter. It says here we might not get there. Klitschko is on one hell of a run, and logic dictates that his greater toolbox, athleticism, and overall (amateur and professional) experience mean a decision, or late stoppage, win. However, Klitschko is already proven to be flawed and the idea of a house of cards in a breeze comes to mind every time he steps between the ropes. I’ll go with Klitschko by decision with upset potential.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com