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BY: Vitali Shaposhnikov
Something along the lines of Klitschko vs. Johnson this past Saturday in Switzerland. We had the dominating champion Vitali Klitschko fighting the best available challenger Kevin Johnson. The result: 298 landed punches by Klitschko, versus 65 landed by Johnson. Vitali connected with 141 power punches, and Kevin barely got to 5. What does this say about the fight and the heavyweight division in boxing?
First of all, let’s get something straight: this was not a competitive fight, and it was never meant to be. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for giving the underdogs a shot, but when they get that shot without deserving it first, the division gets blurry. Not only was Johnson unable to counter or do anything of value in the fight, he didn’t seem to attempt to throw a punch. While Klitschko was throwing and landing, Kevin was smiling, showing off, and trying to block.
I am glad Vitali won, but this was not a win that added anything to his career or social standing in boxing. It was barely a sparring session for Vitali, and he left the fight with nothing but a minor workout behind him. Johnson, I would think, lost everything. He showed no heart, fire to fight, or skill for that matter. There is nothing good ahead in his boxing future.
There is one more hope for a good Klitschko fight, and that is David Haye. While I don’t think he will be able to beat either of the brothers, I do think that he will put up a decent fight, and make them work for the win.
Now on to more important things: the heavyweight division. Thinking back some years, I get jealous of all those older boxing fans that had the opportunity to witness the heavyweight greats such as Ali, Frazier, Tyson, Holyfield etc. Nowadays, heavyweights prove to be nothing but heavy in weight. Sure I think the Klitschkos are great fighters, if not superb, but maybe this is an illusion. I cannot remember the last time I have seen a good competitive heavyweight bout, showcasing great skills and heart. The division is sinking, and there doesn’t look to be anything out there to help it stay afloat. There aren’t any promising fighters out there, who make the headline news and spark a fire of interest in the boxing community. Hopefully, some fighters will come along, knock a few guys out, and help the supposedly most exciting boxing division come back into life.
Something along the lines of Klitschko vs. Johnson this past Saturday in Switzerland. We had the dominating champion Vitali Klitschko fighting the best available challenger Kevin Johnson. The result: 298 landed punches by Klitschko, versus 65 landed by Johnson. Vitali connected with 141 power punches, and Kevin barely got to 5. What does this say about the fight and the heavyweight division in boxing?
First of all, let’s get something straight: this was not a competitive fight, and it was never meant to be. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for giving the underdogs a shot, but when they get that shot without deserving it first, the division gets blurry. Not only was Johnson unable to counter or do anything of value in the fight, he didn’t seem to attempt to throw a punch. While Klitschko was throwing and landing, Kevin was smiling, showing off, and trying to block.
I am glad Vitali won, but this was not a win that added anything to his career or social standing in boxing. It was barely a sparring session for Vitali, and he left the fight with nothing but a minor workout behind him. Johnson, I would think, lost everything. He showed no heart, fire to fight, or skill for that matter. There is nothing good ahead in his boxing future.
There is one more hope for a good Klitschko fight, and that is David Haye. While I don’t think he will be able to beat either of the brothers, I do think that he will put up a decent fight, and make them work for the win.
Now on to more important things: the heavyweight division. Thinking back some years, I get jealous of all those older boxing fans that had the opportunity to witness the heavyweight greats such as Ali, Frazier, Tyson, Holyfield etc. Nowadays, heavyweights prove to be nothing but heavy in weight. Sure I think the Klitschkos are great fighters, if not superb, but maybe this is an illusion. I cannot remember the last time I have seen a good competitive heavyweight bout, showcasing great skills and heart. The division is sinking, and there doesn’t look to be anything out there to help it stay afloat. There aren’t any promising fighters out there, who make the headline news and spark a fire of interest in the boxing community. Hopefully, some fighters will come along, knock a few guys out, and help the supposedly most exciting boxing division come back into life.
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