Klitschkos’ Foolish Foes

I miss Larry Holmes. I miss Mike Tyson. I miss Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. I even miss Lennox Lewis, whom I never loved. These were the dominant heavyweights in my lifetime, and while reminiscence often leads to easy sentimentality, I believe each of these champions was worthy in his own right. Larry Holmes, to me the true “greatest,” was not the biggest puncher, but he dominated all he faced and his jab was not only beautiful but devastating, the key to every other punch he threw, the harbinger of serious damage. Tyson’s controlled swarming and concussive power made him a superstar, not his ridiculous marriage to Robin Givens or the controversy that still follows his life. Evander Holyfield is heart personified within a chiseled body and Riddick Bowe proved his mettle in his bouts with Holyfield. He could box and he could punch and he was a fighter, staying on the outside but always ready to engage.

Today we have the Klitschko Brothers, Vitali and Wladimir. Physical specimens to be sure, but their fighting styles are less than appealing and while trainer Emanuel Steward can rave about their strength and their discipline, and while their combined records over the past five-plus years is impressive, the twin towers of the heavyweight division do not impress. Yes, they understand ring geography. Yes, they have cleaned out a stable of unprepared heavyweights. But these two men are flawed, often hesitant in the ring, and so careful they fail to inspire. There’s a reason the two English-speaking Ukrainians have no cross-over appeal. They may be legends in Deutschland , where the fight crowds are so polite they seem more East German robot than West German free, but in the States, the true Mecca of boxing and certainly the historical Mecca of the heavyweight division, the Klitschko brothers are the opposite of mega-draws.

The Klitsckos remain standing because the men trying to knock them down are not prepared. The reasons are numerous and provide a glimpse at what’s wrong with boxing today. Some challengers are mere prospects, given title shots too early, before they’ve developed their skills. Forget the 0s in their loss columns. Their inflated records, often as inflated as their out-of-shape midsections, are lies. Some challengers are past their primes, relying on a fool’s hope that muscles and minds once battle-ready will remain battle-ready by virtue of their names. Some challengers have not trained properly. This is the fault of the athlete and the trainer. To fight the Klitschko brothers, either one of them, a fighter must be taught how to equalize the one great weapon each brother possesses—a stiff, straight, long-armed jab that, over time, does damage. And some challengers just don’t get in shape. This is the trainer’s fault—for not preparing his charge—and the fighter’s fault—for not possessing the self-discipline to put in the rounds in the gym at full capacity, to do the necessary road work, to eat right.

For younger brother Wladimir, the opposition was rarely ready. Look at the list of his opponents over the past three years. Was Lamon Brewster truly prepared for his rematch? He looked like an amateur, sluggish and soft. Sultan Ibragimov and Tony Thompson did as little as possible to survive against the champ; again, they were clearly not ready for the fights of their lives and they fought like all they wanted was money, which would be deposited in their bank accounts regardless of the fight’s outcome, and not glory, which must be earned in the ring. Hasim Rahman phoned in his lackluster punches before he was stopped. And Ruslan Chagaev was clearly not schooled to deal with Klitschko’s long, straight jab. Three years. Six less-than-mediocre fights. Of course, Wladimir remained untouched.

For older brother Vitali, since his loss to Lennox Lewis, he has fought six times. A quick look at Boxrec.com may reveal statistics but these stats say very little. The combined record of Vitali’s opposition is an extremely impressive 206-8-1. This record is clearly inflated. And, most disappointing, is that some of these contenders for the title have acted like fools. Take the two most recent challenges to older brother Vitali’s crown, one that was fought in September and one that will be fought this Saturday.

Chris Arreola was the American hopeful, a Mexican heavyweight who could have made history and a mint had he won. Still wet behind his pugilistic ears, what he lacked in ring experience, we all hoped he would make up for in heart; after all, he was a fighter who prided himself on his heart. The most obvious part of stepping up for a physical challenge is to get in shape for that challenge. Professional athletes have a responsibility to themselves and to their fans to be physically ready—they are paid to be work hard. But when Arreola’s robe was removed, every ticket buyer in L.A.’s Staple Center and every subscriber to HBO at home saw that Chris’s middle was soft. This is unconscionable. The extra weight was not only a cosmetic sin. Arreola was twenty pounds over his optimal weight. Without the self-discipline to eat well and train right, how could this fighter have the discipline to face a heavyweight champion, to fight through the hard parts of a fight, to stay afloat in deep waters? The answer was simple. Arreola stopped fighting and drowned. He may have blubbered after the fight, but I had no sympathy for the fat man. He was given his moment and he didn’t work to seize the moment. To use one of Arreola’s favorite words, Areola really didn’t give a fuck, not the kind of fuck a professional fighter should have given for a title shot.

On December 12th boxing history with a Klitschko brother will repeat itself. Kevin Johnson is finally getting his big break and, as with all those before him, he’s talked a good game. In fact, Johnson is doing one better than many of his peers—he’s also writing a good game. Fightnews.com is posting Johnson’s “Diary” entries as the days tick away to fight time. Look at some of Kevin Johnson’s latest entry:

Today is the big day. There is so much to do before traveling to Berne, Switzerland today. I had hoped to get in a little sparring this morning before getting on the plane, but my sparring partners looked like they need a break so I let them off the hook.

Is he serious? A professional fighter who has struggled for seven years, who has sparring partners on his payroll and who is preparing for a title bout, let his sparring partners off the hook because they needed a break? The only one who wanted the break was Johnson. Like Arreola’s telltale fat, these telltale words have sealed the outcome. One thing the Klitschko brothers consistently do is gym work. They at least look like heavyweight champions and they at least train like heavyweight champions. Against the likes of Kevin Johnson, this will be more than enough.

Where is the heavyweight who will put in the time to learn his craft, who will enter the ring with a clear plan and have the discipline to execute that plan, who will train harder than he’s ever trained before for the honor to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world? These questions won’t be answered on December12th. Until someone steps up, truly steps up, the Klitschko brothers will continue their unimpressive reign.