By Cliff Rold
The title says it all. After an unfortunate and aggravating, for fans and the fighter, rash of injuries in 2005 forced multiple cancellations and an early retirement for Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KO), fans wondered if they’d heard the last of the Ukrainian.
They had not.
He remained a vocal and physical presence in the corner of little brother Wladimir as the younger Klitschko went on a tear which sees him on the brink of domination at Heavyweight.
Vitali ran for the mayor of Kiev.
He probably took some long walks, perhaps even played Yahtzee, but no one saw any of those things.
They did see the fallout of his decision to return and enforce his status as something called the Emeritus Champion of the WBC. They saw it in a hung up WBC title through most of 2007 and in a cancelled (due to training injury) bout with Jameel McCline. One could view the Emeritus distinction as holding a secret coded meaning along the lines of “fighter who generates enough sanctioning fee to pick his own spots” but that’s not official. Not having fought since December 2004, a 37-year old Klitschko leaps to the front of the line this weekend to face current titlist Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KO), a 28-year old Nigerian bomber whose sole loss came to Wlad. Can Vitali make the family 2 for 2?
Let’s go to the report card(s).
Speed: These are Heavyweights without names like Patterson, Tyson or Ali, do they’re not going to awe anyone with the liquid flow of their hands. Great. Heavyweights who punch, hard, are always a welcome treat in the squared circle. That is not to say the fighters are without any speed. Klitschko, four years ago, had better than average hand speed, particularly considering he stands nearly 6’8. The speed is employed with an awkward jab and wicked, dropping hammer of a right, all while intelligently fighting tall. Peter can show some quicks in combination but he often plods, waiting for holes rather than jabbing to create them. No way to know if Klitschko’s muscle memory and timing are back until they get in the ring. Pre-Fight Grades: Peter B-; Klitschko B
Power: As much as his reputation was built on power, Peter may actually be a tad overrated as in this category. It’s not that, with his best punch, a wall can’t come tumbling down. Peter’s problem is getting power home. He’s improved his technique after the Wlad encounter and two fights with James Toney, but he sometimes seems too comfortable in the ring. Stepping in for Vitali against McCline, he was dropped three times after a methodical start. Klitschko was never too comfortable; he looked to bomb people out and has a fighter’s mentality. He’s much more the puncher than McCline was. Were we guaranteed the Vitali who pushed Lennox Lewis to the edge in 2003, his power and the aggression he employs it with would be big bonuses. Pre-Fight Grades: Peter & Klitschko B+
Defense: In the words of Saturday Night Live’s new Weekend Update segment…“Oh My God, Are you Serious? Really?” The best reason to watch this fight is because the defenses should be leaky. Klitschko always had a pretty solid chin and, of the two, is harder to hit. He’s tall and he uses subtle, awkward head movements to make himself a difficult target. His long arms make it hard to get inside to the body as well. Peter has improved a lot; he jabs and keeps himself tighter lately, rolling his shoulders and tucking his chin with what little neck the massive man has. Still, at some point, probably early, both guys are going to blast off. Pre-Fight Grades: Klitschko B; Peter B-
Intangibles: Peter showed some solid stuff in each of his last two outings. Against McCline, he got off the floor, abandoned the knockout, and simply moved his hands, landing more punches to pile up rounds and win a decision. When rocked in March during his belt winning effort against Oleg Maskaev, he just bit down and fought back harder. Sometimes, his training dedication looks less than perfect, but he shows up to fight and has gained serious experience at the World class level the last few years. He also has the frustration he will feel Klitschko caused his career by attempting to force a title shot after years out of the ring. Klitschko is all intangible; the best of him is gutsy and tough but what of the old him? Is that what he is this weekend…just the latest old fighter who needed to find out? And will he have his head straight after all the injuries or will he enter worried about the next bad break? Pre-Fight Grades: Peter B; Klitschko B
The Pick: Making this pick assumes the fight comes off and with only hours to spare, it appears it might. Good for Klitschko if it does. It has to have been frustrating dealing with the multiple body breakdowns he has. None of that changes how old he is or how long he's been out of the ring or that he returns against arguably the division's hardest puncher. Klitschko is awkward and efficient; he's not the technically fighter his brother is. He gets hit. Sure, he takes it better, but it won't matter this weekend. Peter's long right hand sends toxic shock through a body that hasn't felt anything like it in years, ending the bout before the halfway point.
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
