By Thomas Gerbasi

There won’t be any Fighter of the Year awards for Wladimir Klitschko, no celebrations of epic battles that will go down in boxing history as some of the best ever seen in the prize ring, or any proclamations that “Dr. Steelhammer” is ready to join the likes of Ali, Louis, Marciano, or Foreman in the pantheon of the greats.

And that’s okay, because what Klitschko did do in 2010 may be even more important when it comes to building a foundation for his legacy. This was the year that the Ukrainian standout became the best heavyweight in the world and perhaps the most dominant big man of this era.

There are those out there who would say that he’s been the top heavyweight in the sport for years, ever since he defeated Chris Byrd for the second time in 2006 and once again strapped a championship belt around his waist, and you can make an argument for that premise. But at the same time, there were always challengers who many thought could end the reign, who could crack the chin Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders had dented before, and end the hype HBO kicked into high gear the moment they put Klitschko and his brother Vitali on their network.

Calvin Brock and Eddie Chambers were the great American hopes. Both were knocked out. Brewster was supposed to give Klitschko nightmarish flashbacks in their 2007 rematch, but he too was halted. Some believed Hasim Rahman and Samuel Peter had enough firepower left in their gloves to stop the reign, but again, both were stopped. Even unbeaten international standouts like Sultan Ibragimov, Ruslan Chagaev, and Alexander Povetkin were expected to have the style and temperament to give their fellow European fits, but Ibragimov and Chagaev went away with barely a whimper, and Povetkin opted not to fight Klitschko, despite having a guaranteed title shot on the table.

So since beating Byrd, Klitschko – the current IBF and WBO champion – is 9-0 with eight knockouts. In the past ten years, the only fighters comparable to Klitschko are his brother, Vitali, and Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis.

Lewis, finishing out his stellar career, went 6-1 with five knockouts from 2000 to his retirement in 2003. His lone loss during that string – against Hasim Rahman - was avenged seven months after it happened, and the only other fighter to put him to the test was Vitali Klitschko, who Lewis stopped on cuts. From the time of his loss to Chris Byrd in 2000 to the present, Vitali Klitschko put together a 14-1 slate that included wins over Kevin Johnson, Shannon Briggs, Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Sanders, and Kirk Johnson. But at 39, the elder Klitschko is certainly on his final lap around the heavyweight track.

Which leaves us with Wladimir. 34 years old but showing little, if any, wear and tear, he may be in his prime, a stunning clam to make since he was anointed for greatness over ten years ago after stopping Monte Barrett in seven rounds in 2000. Yet despite his physical gifts, he has turned out to be a late bloomer, not only in the ring, but outside of it.

Thrust into the spotlight and expected to be the one to carry boxing in the post-Tyson era, Klitschko dealt with the expectations with grace, but at the same time appeared to be more comfortable in the shadows.  In 2004, a few weeks after a bittersweet April for the brothers Klitschko, as Wladimir lost his title to Brewster and Vitali won his against Sanders, the two came to New York and met with a small group of local media. Vitali was serious, as usual, while Wladimir was almost giddy in the role of little brother, happy to let his older sibling take the lead. He even found time to joke about his misfortunes in the ring while talking about growing up back in Ukraine.

"I never used my brother to protect myself," said Wladimir. "I always tried to take care of those things myself. Sometimes it worked out bad because I came home with bruises under my eyes and a broken nose, but it’s okay.”

He paused, ready to deliver the punch line with perfect comedic timing.

“But things have changed," he continued. "As you see I lost against Corrie Sanders, and he beat Corrie Sanders badly. I do the bad job and make the guys win, and then he takes care of protecting me."

Now Wladimir Klitschko doesn’t need protection from his big brother, and it was telling that during Vitali’s nearly four year hiatus from the ring from late-2004 to late-2008, it was the baby brother who took over the division, as almost if on cue. And these days, fresh from a 2010 campaign that saw him knock out Chambers and Peter, he doesn’t even need the crutch of American television to make him a star. He already is one, packing arenas in his adopted home country of Germany for his last five bouts. 

In the ring, Klitschko has matured into a machine that doesn’t have to worry about his supposed glass jaw because no one has even gotten close enough to touch it. He has developed a predictable “jab, jab, right hand, occasional left hook” gameplan into boxing’s version of the old Green Bay Packers sweep – you know it’s coming but you still can’t stop it. And for a fighter with a glass jaw, he hasn’t hit the deck since Peter put him down three times in their first bout (still won by Klitschko via decision) in 2005. That’s 83 rounds worth of heavyweight fighting without suffering a knockdown. Few can claim that these days.

And few in today’s heavyweight division can claim to have a legitimate shot at dethroning him. In fact, the ones that do are a man he will never fight (and rightfully so) in his brother Vitali and one he has to in 2011 if he is to maintain his level of respectability in WBA champion David Haye.

Haye is the wild card in the heavyweight mix. Tomasz Adamek is exciting but doesn’t have the size or style to beat Klitschko. Chris Arreola is, well, Chris Arreola. Odlanier Solis makes Arreola look like an Adonis, and will soon be taken care of by Vitali Klitschko. The rest of the division is full of faceless no-hopers who will be sent to the scrap heap by any of the current three title holders. But Haye, now that’s a challenge for Wladimir Klitschko that can’t be ignored. The brash Brit may not be the biggest man in the division, but he’s got enough speed and power to make up for any physical shortcomings, and he’s bold enough to do what no one has been able to do with Klitschko in years – get him into a dogfight. And in a dogfight, it’s often who lands first who wins, and Haye certainly has the speedy credentials to get the job done.

But will the fight happen? The two were expected to fight in 2009 before a back injury forced “The Hayemaker” out of the bout, and subsequent negotiations for a bout with either of the brothers hit the skids, leaving fans and the fighters disappointed. Yet after Wladimir Klitschko’s recent withdrawal from a December 11th bout against Dereck Chisora, negotiations have reportedly begun with the Haye camp again, giving fans hope for a 2011 Superfight.

If the Haye fight happens, and Klitschko wins, it could be the cap on a career that has had its ups and downs but that ultimately ended on a high note. Frankly, is there anyone else out there for him to fight and beat? The next great heavyweight may be out there, but he’s probably 10-years old and learning how to hit the double-end bag. So for now, it’s time to realize that the best heavyweight in the world is one who has been around us all along. It just took the noise level around him to go down for us to hear him finally roar.