Heavyweights, a division in exile if not endangered, are making a lot of Euros, but American ambivalence at what was a piece of Americana frustrates Wladimir Klitschko trainer Emanuel Steward in a way he could have never imagined when he was an amateur growing up in Detroit, Joe Louis’ hometown.

Frustration said it all in a conference call.

Steward said it once, again and often — first at the criticism he hears about Klitschko’s opponent, former cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck, Saturday in Dusseldorf in the third round of an Epix-televised trilogy (4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST) and again when asked whether there are any worthy challengers at all in a division that draws crowds in Germany and yawns in the United States.

“It’s so frustrating, these comments we’re reading,’’ said Steward, who says Klitschko (56-3, 49 KOs) will be confronted by a style he has yet to see in a smaller body that could make the 39-year-old Mormeck (36-4, 22 KOs) an awkward target.

Steward expects Klitschko to solve the problem with the calculating skill of a chess player. But check-mate isn’t what fans expect. Only an early knockout will do.

“According to all the experts, if the fight goes over three or four rounds, it’s a terrible performance,’’ Steward said. “If Wladimir knocks him out in a minute, it’s what he was supposed to do. We’re going into a definitely no-win situation.’’

No-win is a byproduct of the dominance Wladimir and his older brother, Vitali, have exerted over the heavyweights in the longest family reign since the Hapsburgs ruled Austria. The Klitschkos have won it all. Between them, they possess every acronym attached to a championship belt, including Vitali’s victory in a WBC-title defense three weeks ago over Dereck Chisora in Munich.

Chisora slapped Vitali at the weigh-in, spit in Wladimir’s face before opening bell and brawled with David Haye after the bout. Chisora got a split decision, losing the fight and winning the outrage, within a couple of circus-like days that brought a lot of attention to the heavyweights, but not because of the Klitschkos. They were there, doing what they always do: Winning. Steward is right. They only become news if they lose, or at least face what is perceived to be a real threat.

It’s within that context that Steward’s frustration is understandable. It’s hard to know where the Klitschkos belong. How would they have done in the Muhammad Ali era of the late 1960s and ‘70s? There’s only an argument and perhaps one day a video game.

“Unfortunately, this is probably – maybe – the worst heavyweight time in history,’’ he said. “It’s frustrating for us sometimes, too.’’

That frustration isn’t new. Larry Holmes suffered through it, post-Ali. Steward recalled a time when Joe Louis dominated the division so thoroughly that he turned it into his bum-of-the-month club. Each barren stretch, however, was followed by a rebirth.

“I think that those heavyweights are coming up,’’ said Wladimir, who at 35 is confident history will repeat itself in time for a true measure of where he belongs. “Think about Mike Tyson. He was 20-years-old. Nobody would ever think that a 20-year-old – boy or man – would become the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

“It always has been like that in the past. And it’s going to be like that in the future.’’

Amid renewed signs of life in the dormant division, Steward and Wladimir talk as if that future will have to happen in the U.S. against an emerging American contender. But who, please, who? Wladimir mentioned Chris Arreola. But Arreola is already a Klitschko victim. He was overwhelmed by Vitali in a 2009 mismatch at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. A better possibility might be Seth Mitchell, a promising apprentice and a former Michigan State linebacker who has talked about fighting a Klitschko, perhaps in early 2013. Wladimir has talked about Mitchell a couple of times during the last few months. It’s as if he sees him as a ticket back to the American stage.

Steward is hopeful, yet cautious.

“He looks good,’’ he said of Mitchell. “He’s a fundamentally good fighter. He comes in and he throws punches. He doesn’t wait. He’d be a good challenger.’’

But here’s the caveat and perhaps the frustration:

“Too bad we don’t have a bunch of them,’’ Steward said.

With Wladimir and Vitali, there are only two, too few.

AZ might be Margarito’s next stop

Tucson and Phoenix are possibilities for Antonio Margarito’s first fight since his December loss to Miguel Cotto, who won a 10th-round stoppage in New York when the ringside physician ended the rematch because of blood and swelling around Margarito’s problematic right eye.

Margarito wants a tune-up in May that will put him in line for a shot at Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Tijuana, his home, has been mentioned. But Top Rank and his company, Showdown, already are doing a co-promotion of a ShoBox-televised card on March 23 at Casino del Sol in Tucson. Margarito’s brother-in-law, super-flyweight Hanzel Martinez, is scheduled for the undercard against fellow-Mexican Alex Rangel.

Margarito accompanied Martinez to a news conference at Casino del Sol a couple of weeks ago. Despite all the controversy that surrounds him, he is comfortable in Arizona, where he fought three times early in his career.

When there were questions about whether New York would license him for the Cotto rematch because of his surgically-repaired eye, US Airways Center in Phoenix became an alternate site. The Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission said it would have licensed Margarito. Sergio Diaz, Margarito’s manager, said he believes the fight would have gone to Phoenix if New York had said no to the license and Cotto had agreed to the move.

History will have the last say on where Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko rank among great brothers. Their unprecedented reign is either a reflection of a fading heavyweight division full of more clowns than Ringling Brothers or an enduring statement about their power, skill and smarts. If they were American instead of Ukrainian, they might be more appreciated. Then again, they might have been NFL defensive ends instead of fighters.

The good news – good sense, too – is that neither Klitschko is in a race with time or Floyd Mayweather Jr. to define their place. Can’t win that one. But they can beat the next guy in front of them, Dereck Chisora for Vitali on Saturday in Munich and Jean Marc Mormeck for Wladimir on March 3 in Dusseldorf in an EpixHD.com trilogy that includes lots of autobahn miles and Alexander Povetkin-versus-Marco Huck on Feb. 25 in Stuttgart.

“My career is not over,’’ Vitali said in a conference call.

At 40, it is a lot closer to the end than it is the beginning. Even with a political career in his future, however, there was no spin about when he might quit or how he hopes to be remembered.

“It’s always very difficult to talk about myself,’’ he said. “It’s you, as boxing experts, who know about that better. You can be objective, much more objective.’’

Okay, maybe some spin. With his own political party, The Punch, and talk about a third run for mayor of Kiev, his political footwork is as artful as any he employs in the ring. A little flattery for the media is a beautiful feint. Nevertheless, there was a tone that says he knows he will encounter an emerging, perhaps surprising, new face in what looks to be a division that is dormant, if not near extinction.

“Lennox Lewis was a big star, a big star,’’ said Vitali, who nearly upset Lewis in 2003 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. “Right now, all the big stars have retired. Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are not there. Lennox Lewis is not there.

“No big names, and that’s why everyone from the new generation who challenges the Klitschkos gets stopped. Any moment, there can be a new guy. He can be tough. He can give us a tough challenge. One of them is Dereck Chisora.’’

But Chisora’s experience doesn’t add up to much of a chance. With only 17 pro bouts including two losses and nine knockouts, Chisora is an apprentice on a master’s canvas that includes the World Boxing Council’s title, 43 victories, 40 knockouts and two defeats. There nothing new about that, at least not during a Klitschko reign that some say has been suffocating.

“For a real challenge, it would have to be somebody who can beat a Klitschko,’’ Vitali said. “But we don’t give anyone a chance inside the ring. We leave no room for doubt that we are stronger than our opponents. That’s why everybody is talking about a crisis in boxing because nobody can beat us.

“No, it is not a crisis, although somebody told us the name of the crisis is the Klitschko brothers, because nobody can beat the Klitschko brothers.’’

Barring an upset Saturday or on March 3, only they can. But that’s a fight that will happen only as a computer game. Vitali said they promised their mom that they would never fight each other. Besides, it would be biblical-like spectacle offensive by even boxing’s elusive standards. That’s not to say there isn’t a sibling rivalry. It happens on the ping-pong table. It’s there again in the swimming pool when Vitali makes it sound as if he is trying to beat Michael Phelps.

“Other than a hairy chest, he’s much better than me,’’ Vitali says of heats in a 50-meter pool. “Sometimes in ping-pong, but it is more difficult.’’

Wladimir, 35, is the athlete in the family, Vitali says.

“My brother has a big talent in boxing and in sport,’’ he says.

Only at the chess board and as a dad does Vitali say he has an advantage. Vitali has three kids. Wladimir has none.

“I dominate him, three-to-zero,’’ he said.

Dominant is the only way to describe the both of them.

Gonzales puts a grudge into his Montreal date with Stevenson
Phoenix super-middleweight Jesus Gonzales’ challenging trip to Montreal for a bout Saturday against Adonis Stevenson exploded Wednesday into a nasty grudge match.

At a Montreal news conference, Gonzales (27-1, 14 KOs) talked about Stevenson’s criminal past, which includes an 18-month jail sentence for assault and his role in a Quebec gang that forced young girls into prostitution. Gonzales’ public comments enraged Stevenson (16-1, 13 KOs), who used a series of expletives in a promise to knock him out.

Stevenson, who was charged with the crimes 14 years ago, also went to his Facebook page and alleged that Gonzales used a racial slur, the N-word. Gonzales denied it. It’s not clear why the Haitian-born Stevenson waited to write the allegation in a Facebook missive. A racial slur usually sparks an immediate, face-to-face response.

Gonzales is a Mexican-American who has heard many slurs. In my years around him, however, I’ve never heard him make one. But it’s evident he has angered Stevenson, who might be further angered at the sight of a logo – APECA — that Gonzales plans to wear on his trunks. It stands for the “Protection of Exploited Children and Adults.” Gonzales, who took the fight on short notice, says he will wear it in support of Natalie’s House, a women’s shelter near Phoenix.

The bout for the No. 2 spot in the International Boxing Federation’s 168-pound ratings is scheduled to be telecast by Fight Now TV, which can be accessed by cable and satellite distributors.

AZ NOTES
Arizona’s first card in 2012 is scheduled for Friday night at Celebrity Theatre. At least eight bouts are planned, including two amateur, on Iron Boy Promotion’s first event in the state. Roger Mayweather is scheduled to work a couple of corners for young fighters from the Mayweather gym in Las Vegas. First bell is scheduled for 7 p.m. (MST).

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the IBF has named Tony Thompson the mandatory challenger for champion Wladimir Klitschko after Eddie Chambers deemed himself unavailable to take on Thompson.

Chambers was due to fight Thompson on October 28th but couldn’t fight due to a back injury and when he could not fight on the proposed December 17th date, The IBF elevated Thompson to the top spot to rematch Klistchko of a fight that saw the champion stop Thompson in the 11th round in July of 2008.

“I was borderline sappy. I really felt I was going to start bawling like a baby because I wanted this opportunity so bad,” Thompson told ESPN.com on Monday.

“Knowing I wasn’t at 100 percent has been eating away at me for the past three years,” said Thompson, who fought with an injured knee that required surgery following the fight. “Now to have another opportunity at the ripe old age of 40, I will be at my best in terms of conditioning and my knowledge of the game. This means everything to me.”

“Eddie, in essence, forfeited his opportunity and felt he was wasn’t going to be prepared physically or mentally for the rescheduled date,” said Dan Goossen, who promotes Thompson and Chambers. “So the IBF obviously took the position, which we certainly agreed with, that there was a box-off to get to the final eliminator and anything other than naming Tony the mandatory wasn’t right. Tony did everything he was supposed to do, including prepare himself for Oct. 28 and begin preparing himself for Dec. 17 if Eddie was going to participate.

“We would have all preferred that the fight occurred to establish the mandatory, but it didn’t work out that way. I was one of the voices to Eddie telling him this was an opportunity that very few people get. I told him, ‘I would give it careful consideration to make sure you make the right decision.’ When things get down to it, it’s always up to the fighter. I’m not going to talk a fighter into it if the fighter doesn’t feel like he is physically or mentally ready for whatever reason. We are in very rough sport. You can get hurt when you are physically and mentally prepared to fight and the chances are even more so if you are not.”

“As down as Tony was when he heard Eddie wasn’t fighting, obviously he is excited for the chance to fight Wladimir again,” Goossen said. “He told me on the phone when he found out he was the mandatory, ‘Dan, I promise you I’m gonna knock out Wladimir Klitschko and become heavyweight champion of the world.’ I just have that belief that Tony can surprise a lot of people when that opportunity happens.

“He has eight kids and works his butt off to take care of them. He knows what hardship is and what’s in front of him. He’s gotten better and better as the years have gone on. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he had a bad knee in the first fight and he never complained about it.”

“It wouldn’t be fair to me to make me fight a guy who didn’t have a preliminary fight (in the box-off), so I feel the IBF made a fair decision and I’m thankful,” Thompson said.

“He was always leery of the fight and the purse he was being offered when all this started, but to come this late in a training camp and then pull out I was surprised,” Thompson said. “But he called me and assured me he does have a legitimate injury. He wanted to assure me he wasn’t pulling the wool over my eyes and wanted to assure me as a buddy.

“Had he put me through another training camp and then pulled out (before the rescheduled date) that would have been worse. Now I can start preparing for Wladimir right now. Yes, I was angry I didn’t get to perform on Showtime (on Oct. 28) and bring a fight to the public, but I’m always a glass half-full guy. I am where I wanted to be — in position to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight championship of the world.

Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klirschko will defends his titles against former World Cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck on December 10th in Dusseldorf, Germany according to espn.com’s Dan Rafael.

“I know that I am the favorite in all my fights but I also know that each opponent is motivated to be in the best shape ever when he fights me,” said Klitschko, who is 17-2 in world title bouts and will be participating in his 20th title fight. “Mormeck is one of the most experienced fighters I have ever faced. He has had many world title fights, has a very good technique, can take a lot of punches and is very intelligent inside the ring. To underestimate him would be a fatal mistake.”

In 2007, Haye, also a former cruiserweight champion, went to Mormeck’s native France, survived a fourth-round knockdown and rallied to knock him out in the seventh round to win the cruiserweight title.

After the loss, Mormeck (36-4, 22 KOs) took nearly two years off before returning as a heavyweight. He has won each of his three heavyweight bouts against second-tier opposition: Vinny Maddalone, Fres Oquendo and Timur Ibragimov.

“I had Haye on the canvas and shortly before a knockout, which Klitschko could not do,” Mormeck said. “What I missed out against Haye I will now do with him. Wladimir has a glass chin which I will break. He cannot stand punches. Against his brother (fellow heavyweight champion) Vitali I would have thought longer about fighting him, but against Wladimir I believe I have very good chances. On Dec. 11, I will travel back to Paris with a suitcase full of championship belts. I enjoy being the underdog in this fight and I will shock the boxing world.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world title challenges Eddie Chambers and Tony Thompson will square off on October 28th in Atlantic City for the right to fight a rematch with the man who knocked them both out, Wladimir Klitschko.

The fight between good friends will take the night before the Super 6 Final between Andre Ward and Carl Froch at will take place at Ballys in Atlantic City which is just a few steps away from Boardwalk Hall where there Ward – Froch clash will take place.

It’s tough, but there is an opportunity for both of us to realize a dream,” Thompson said of fighting his friend. “I’m happy for both us to get this opportunity, but I have to go in there and take care of business. I consider us more than friends — I consider myself like a mentor to him. But I told my own brother I’d kick his ass if had to to get back to a Klitschko fight, and my brother knew I was dead serious.”

“But sometimes in this business you got to fight your friends,” Chambers said. “I’m just looking forward to the fight and getting it done. We’re two of the top heavyweights in the division and we’ve helped each other get there. I’ve helped him and he’s helped me get ready for fights several different times. He’s the kind of person that if I had kids, I’d have my kids play with his kids, but we know this is business. Boxing is not a team sport, but if it was a team sport, we would be on the same team.”

“Both fighters have had that taste of a championship challenge and both of them withstood many rounds with Wladimir. To me the question about their fight is who has learned more from their loss,” Said promoter Dan Goossen, who represents both fighters. “Both of them have come back from their loss. Eddie beat Rossy and looked good and Tony has been kept fairly busy and has been winning against pretty good opponents and getting knockouts. I hate to have our guys fighting each other and only one advancing, but that is what you do as a promoter — you give both of the guys an opportunity. I think it will be an interesting fight.”

“I definitely gotta go in there and stop this guy. I’m going in there to knock your head off your shoulders and separate you from your senses long enough for the referee to raise my hand,” said Thompson, who is close to Klitschko’s size at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds.

“We’re both fighting for our professional lives,” said Chambers, who is 6-1 and 210 pounds. “This could be his last go-round, his last hurrah. He’s still performing well, but at the age of 40, you can get old overnight in this game. Yes, we have respect for each other, but that is even more reason to go out there and give 100 percent. We got two people on a collision course who have everything to lose, and there’s a lot to gain as well with a win. With a win it catapults us to a title shot again. That’s what we are both shooting for.”

Boxing insiders will forgive David Haye. Many of us have already. What he did some Saturdays ago against Wladimir Klitschko, the ballsy hustle of it, was different to us only for reasons of scale. We see the same embellishment and churlish irony from smalltime promoters each month. Supposedly, it’s part of prizefighting’s charm.

We endure it out of self-interest. If the heavyweight division could just get back on the front page of . . . well, OK, the homepage of, well, something, laymen would again talk about our sport. They’d want to read about it, too. Advertisers would return. Writers would be paid.

But what about those laymen? If you know any, they approached you this week about Klitschko-Haye because you’ve mentioned boxing to them at Starbucks. These aren’t your friends from the gym. These are the people with whom you talk about boxing, work or federal-debt-ceiling negotiations.

And what they wanted from you, believe it or not, was a little outrage. They watched Klitschko-Haye, because it was for the heavyweight championship of the world, and they were unimpressed. So, they wanted your eyes to flash or your voice to rise Monday. They wanted to hear what Haye did was unacceptable. When you explained the fight wasn’t that bad and Klitschko is very effective at what he does and Haye’s trash-talking is just the way of the world, you know what these laymen thought?

Hadn’t watched boxing in ages. Seems I haven’t missed anything.

We won’t mourn these absentee fans’ future absence because that’s what the 1990s and 2000s were for – fretting over a dwindling interest in our sport. Today, God love us, we’re defiant; those moronic ghouls, we say, they just want senseless violence and don’t even know what a counterpunch is!

There went the last three casual fans? Very well. No one here but the choir, then, so let’s preach to us.

We found comfort on Friday and Saturday – a couple reminders of why we stick with this sport no matter how little this sport cares that we do. Arizona super middleweight Jesus “El Martillo” Gonzales made a fine scrap with Mexico light heavyweight Francisco Sierra on ESPN2, Friday. And Saturday “Bam Bam” Brandon Rios made one of the finest three-round championship fights of the last 30 years, with Urbano Antillon on Showtime.

But it was all ruined by HBO. There is a temptation to think that way, sure. It was hard to watch Saturday’s fare in the aficionado’s proper order – Showtime first, HBO second – without going to bed a little downtrodden. HBO set out to rehab one of its house fighters, and he lost, and the Atlantic City judges – unaware HBO had quit on its house fighter – turned in majority-decision scorecards confirming a rehabilitation.

Paul Williams’ victory, contrary to popular sentiment, was not all that is wrong with boxing. At this point, a 100-round fight couldn’t turn that trick. Williams’ victory instead was a lesson in the corrupting effect of vesting a small group of people with disproportionate power, but if we’re going to play the boxing-as-metaphor game, we might as well find a worthier subject to treat than some Machiavellian advisor or other.

You know what? Let’s scrap the game altogether and just celebrate what Gonzales, Sierra, Rios and Antillon gave us.

Jesus Gonzales, possessed of one remarkable punch and many flaws, returned to the place where he was comprehensively undone by Jose Luis Zertuche almost six years ago. He dropped Sierra in the fourth round with a left cross he throws to the body as well as any southpaw in the game. Then he was dropped in the fifth by a Sierra right hand to the chin Gonzales leaves unguarded as any southpaw’s in the game. But Gonzales rose from the canvas to win a fair unanimous decision.

His attack consists of a bunny hop, a pair of jabs and a lunging left hand followed by backwards hops and a reset. Something like this.

Gonzales bounces, sets. He jabsjabs, then leaps. Right hand in his front pocket, chin good and high, he dives forward. The left fist uncoils perfectly from behind his left shoulder, and his wrist turns over at the instant before impact, to make a punch forceful enough to crack a human rib – a feat Gonzales achieved against Kendall Gould 50 months ago in Fountain Hills, Ariz. – the very sort of punch that would fold Andre Ward in half were it to land. The odds of that happening are long. Ward is much better than Sierra. Much better than Gonzales, too. But anyway.

Gonzales is not the future star promoter Bob Arum thought he was in 2003. But ESPN2 could do a lot worse than televising Gonzales’ next three or four fights.

Writing of Arum’s roster of future stars – the fluctuating team of a curmudgeonly coach – how about that Brandon Rios? Little was missing from his 8 1/2 minute destruction of Urbano Antillon but the finish. With Antillon dazed and stumbling away, Rios just missed a chance to run across the ring and finish him like Marvelous Marvin Hagler finished Tommy Hearns in the only better three-round fight you can think of.

This was a fight for a world lightweight title. It was a fight in which neither man gave ground. A fight that saw Antillon, felled twice and on the verge of unconsciousness, scoff at a ref’s suggestion the fight should not resume. A fight of gorgeous uppercuts and hooks and no defense for its own sake. A treat that Rios ended by catching Antillon’s left hook to the body and countering it with a right cross, twice. Poetic.

Yes, sport in general has forgotten but not forgiven David Haye. And there are fewer prospective boxing fans today than there were two weeks ago. But there are still prizefighters from the Mexican tradition out there. And in that, friends, we must find our solace.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com @bartbarry

David Haye promised he would retire in October for his thirty-first birthday. He either already retired or should have as he was extremely lackluster in his one sided unanimous decision to Wladimir Klitschko in what was the most anticiapted Heavyweight championship bout in nearly a decade in Hamburg, Germany.

The fight lacked the action that most thought it would have in the nearly three year build up of this bout. Haye showed some quickness early but his only offense was lunging and jumping in to land blind punches in an effort to hurt Klitschko. Klitshcko settled in an got his vaunted jab pumping which made Haye “fight” backing up and not looking for any sustained offense.

Haye continued to flop around the ring and hit the canvas a handful of times for which referee Gino Rodriguez deducted a point in round seven from Klitschko for holding. Klitschko won rounds by landing some jabs and the combination of a lack of effort from Haye, who promised fireworks but produced a dud.

Klitschko scored a dubious knockdown in round eleven after Haye lunged in a was pushed down with the left arm and Rodriguez ruled a rematch. Haye landed a huge right hand that got Klitschko’s attention but he wasn’t able to capitalize.

Klitschko, 242 lbs of Kiev, Ukranine won by scores of 118-108; 117-108 and 116-110 to add the WBA Heavyweight championship to the IBF/WBO/Ring Magazine collection and is now 56-3. Haye, 212 lbs of London, England is now 25-2.

After the fight Haye claimed he had a broken toe which hampered his performance

Follow all the action LIVE as it happens when IBF/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko takes on WBA Heavyweight Champion David Haye in the most anticipated Heavyweight fight in a decade. The Action gets underway at 4:45 eastern time/9:45 pm in London and 10:45 in Hamburg

12 Rounds–IBF/WBA/WBC/Ring Magazine Heavyweight Title–Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s) vs David Haye (25-1, 23 KO’s)

Both guys in the ring…national Anthems being played

Round 1: Haye slips trying to dive in…Klitschko lands 2 jabs…Right from Haye…10-9 Klitschko

Round 2: Klitschko lands a jab…Haye lands a jab…Klitschko lands a right..Haye lands a jab…..20-18 Klitschko

Round 3: Haye lands 3 rights…Klitschko bleeding from the nose…Klitschlo lands a left and right on the ropes…29-29 Klitschko

Round 4: Klitschko lands a right..Hard right from Haye…Big right at the bell..38-38

Round 5 Klitschlo throwing lead lefy hook…big right..Haye lands a right…48-47 Klitschko

Round 6 Haye lands a jab…Jab..Klitschko bleeding on his right cheek..Klitschko lands a left hook…57-57

Round 7: Big left from Haye..Klitschko is deducted a point for pushing Haye down…Lead left from Haye..66-66

Round 8 Haye doing NOTHING…76-75 Klitschko

Round 9: Haye lands a right..Klitschko lands a right…right…...86-84 Klitschko

Round 10 Good right from Klitschko...96-93 Klitschko

Round 11 LITTLE LEFT HAND AND DOWN GOES HAYE….Hard right…Left hook…106-101 Klitschko

Round 12:…Big right from Haye…115-111 Klitschko

117-108; 118-1108; 116-110 KLITSCHKO

For years, Wladimir Klitschko has been the solitary chess master against a field full of guys who should be playing checkers. He’s been winning with a stoic efficiency that earns polite applause, yet without any of the passion that captures the public imagination.

Maybe, David Haye, a joker on Klitschko’s familiar board of squares, can change that Saturday on HBO at Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany. There’s a theory that Haye has been winning the psychological rounds, the fight before the fight. It’s as if he hired Bernard Hopkins to be a consultant.

Haye’s insults, choreographed to be as outrageous as possible, have ringside psychologists reading the body language and interpreting the words for signs of anger in Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs). An angry Klitschko might result in mistakes that could turn him into a beatable Klitschko, whose many advantages include a powerful jab, size and friendly German fans.

Haye’s tactical gamesmanship is a reasonable, perhaps necessary, weapon in a plan to lure Klitschko away from strengths and into an exchange designed to expose a brittle chin to quick hands that could score a dramatic upset. Still, it’s hard to tell whether Klitschko’s anger is just some gamesmanship of his own. Nobody has ever questioned Dr. Klitschko’s smarts.

Klitschko, who has a PhD in philosophy and sports science, has to have a pretty good read on what Haye (25-1, 23 KOs) is trying to do. It ain’t academic. It’s been all street, including a cartoonist’s rendering of Wladimir and brother Vitali’s severed heads bleeding across a T-shirt. Haye has even gone Hitler on Klitschko. He tweeted a link to Downfall, a film about Hitler’s final days. Maybe, Haye’s parade to the ring will include a few goose-steps. There’s nothing he won’t do to offend, offend and offend again.

Trouble is, Haye probably has turned Germany into a bigger fan of Klitschko than he already is. I’m not sure Klitschko will ever express the kind of emotion that becomes a bond between some fighters and their countrymen in other corners of the world. The Filipinos identify with Manny Pacquiao. Mexicans looked at Julio Cesar Chavez and saw themselves. Klitschko, a Ukrainian, looks like the stoic face of an Eastern European edifice. He is as hard to know as he is to appreciate during the weakest era in the heavyweight division.

For the last several years, we’ve watched Klitschko to applaud his skill. But Haye, as unlikely a business partner as there has ever been, has created an opportunity for him to become somebody he has never been.
“If you keep winning, something is going to come up,’’ Klitschko trainer Emanuel Steward said nearly a year ago when asked what or who will propel the heavyweight champion into a legacy of his own.

Then, Steward said it would be Haye, who has willingly and perhaps unwittingly transformed himself into a bad guy. For Klitschko, it means chance to be cheered like a hero instead of applauded like an artist. It means a place in heavyweight history.

NOTES, QUOTES
· Floyd Mayweather Jr. said this week in New York that he never accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancers. “I’ve never said that Manny Pacquiao was taking steroids, I never said he was taking enhancement drugs,” Mayweather said during a news conference for his Sept. 17 fight with Victor Ortiz. Huh? So what was Mayweather trying to say last September in his infamous YouTube rant? That’s when he said: “I’m gonna fight the Pacman when he’s off the power pellets.” What he meant by power and/or pellets figures to be a question he’d have to answer under oath if he shows up for a deposition in the defamation suit filed against him by Pacquiao. So far, he hasn’t. A district court judge this week denied Mayweather’s appeal for an order to prevent a court-ordered deposition.

· Memo to the International Boxing Hall of Fame: Put broadcaster Nick Charles on the next ballot for induction. Charles, who died June 25 after a long battle with cancer, earned a spot alongside journalists already in the Hall. It’s been a tough few weeks for boxing. In addition to Genaro Hernandez and Charles, the game lost former Hopkins trainer Bouie Fisher and former junior-welterweight champ Billy Costello. Fisher was 83; Costello 55.

· A sign of a boxing resurrection in Phoenix will include television cameras on July 8 for super-middleweight Jesus Gonzales (26-1, 14 KOs) against Henry Buchanan (20-2, 13 KOs) in a ring near the center of the floor at the Suns home, US Airways Center. ESPN2 will be there.

· And a sure sign you’re getting old: Happy Birthday, Mike Tyson. He turned 45 Thursday.

We all knew Wladimir Klitschko was a chinny smart guy who took no unnecessary shots and worried openly about what might happen if the right man put a punch on his chin. We had our suspicions, expressed openly and often in the United States where he was more of an Off-Broadway attraction than a demigod, suspicions of what form he would revert to if put back in that scary mid-career place where Sanders then Brewster found him.

Suspicions confirmed.

Saturday in Hamburg, a record number of German fight fans watched in stunned silence as Klitschko was decisively undone by a single punch from Englishman David “Hayemaker” Haye in the first minute of round 3. It took another 80 seconds of grappling and referee interference before Haye could drop Klitschko for a count of 20 – officially at 2:03 of the third – but the fight’s conclusion moved from startling to inevitable in the instant after the first right hand landed for Haye.

Exactly as Haye promised it would.

And yet the match began on such an affirming note for the fragile Klitschko. He kept his left arm fully extended during the opening round. Gone were the tension and quiet fury he’d showed HBO analyst Max Kellerman in that eerily scored promotional sitdown with Haye. Instead it was the prototypical Klitschko of other title defenses: left jab, left jab, left jab, balletic backwards leap, left jab.

Then David Haye sold his soul and took the sort of chance that marks heavyweight champions. He hurled himself at greatness and caught Klitschko flush. “Untergeht Klitschko! Untergeht Klitschko!” cried the Cosell of Cologne, over Germany’s airwaves.

Immediately afterward, as a brash and further-emboldened Haye donned his infamous beheaded-brothers t-shirt and ensured his diamond earrings were properly replaced, Klitschko spoke tentatively about any athlete being capable of a bad night, and his legacy, and a rematch.

Let’s simplify things. Wladimir, your legacy is this: A properly matched giant whose reign as heavyweight champion saw boxing’s popularity plummet. The very man, in other words, Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster said you were.

*

Well, that was futile, wasn’t it? To see David Haye in person is to be as surprised at his height as his sprightly tongue. The man is bigger than he looks on television. He has all the confidence needed to be heavyweight champion of the world. He looks the part. Or so we thought.

What other excuse do we have as the witlings who picked him to upset Wladimir Klitschko?

Saturday in Hamburg, a record number of German fight fans watched in cruel ecstasy as Haye collected an indecent number of blows from Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko before Haye’s corner climbed in the ring and threw its white terrycloth at the Ukrainian ogre. The official time of the Klitschko TKO victory was 1:19 of round 11. But it should have come five rounds earlier.

By then it had become obvious to even a casual observer Haye was a media creation, an inflated cruiserweight with the British accent Americans traditionally mistake for learnedness and wit.

It started in the first minute of the second round, after a dull opening stanza that saw Haye pace five feet from Klitschko’s extended left arm, imitating a caged version of Lion from “The Wizard of Oz.” Then something clicked behind Haye’s eyes and he went for greatness. His head raced into a Klitschko jab that struck with unmanning force.

Three rounds later, with a softened foe before him, Klitschko began to offer right crosses, and it looked like a pro golfer bludgeoning his caddy with a three iron.

The tragic irony of the evening was that Klitschko badly wanted to knock Haye senseless – a merciful conclusion. But each time Klitschko had his finishing blow ready, Haye would feint a blow of his own, and Klitschko would leap backwards. Finally, it was Klitschko’s skittishness that turned him from gentleman to enhanced interrogator.

After the fight Klitschko offered to cover part of the cost of Haye’s time in a Hamburg hospital room, where reports indicate Haye is recovering and expected to announce his retirement from prizefighting by week’s end.

*

Which outcome will it be? There’s no telling just yet, and that means the suspense of what may unfold might entice American viewers to spend an hour of their Saturday afternoon next week to watch the first anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lewis-Tyson. This is a fight boxing badly needs.

Not because it’s consequential, mind you. It’s too late for that. Five years ago, a heavyweight title-unification match would have been reason enough to spend $50 on a pay-per-view fight broadcast from Madison Square Garden. But that was five years ago.

Today, when even aficionados forego weekly offerings from ESPN, Telefutura, Fox Deportes, and increasingly Showtime and HBO, a consequential fight is not enough. No, this match in Germany, Klitschko-Haye, must transcend itself. It must surprise us in a way that wins fans back.

Too tall an order for these men, you say?

We’re all afraid you might be right. We’re afraid Klitschko will come out and keep Haye six feet away as rounds accumulate – like Haye were a braided version of Sultan Ibragimov. Or that Haye will flex and threaten and wing unbalanced shots from a safe distance, never imperiling Klitschko.

If those things happen, it will not be the end of boxing. It will be but another eroding wave that washes away a little more of the majestic bluff boxing once occupied – taking with it another handful of people who’ll no longer notice if boxing continues or doesn’t.

David Haye has an opportunity to dam that erosion by introducing doubt to our flagship division. The best thing, really.

But best things don’t happen in boxing anymore. So I’ll take Klitschko: KO-11.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @barbarry

The much anticipated ‘Face Off’ feature for the huge Klitschko v Haye bout was aired last night on HBO in the US, and across Europe via the Internet early this morning. The excellent format of this mini-programme has proved a great success for recent Pay Per View fights of late, and is now a staple part any big fight build up. It is a crucial element in actually selling the event, but more importantly, showcasing possible physiological flaws or advantages in front of a large international audience. Last night’s episode was a superb advertisement for any mainstream fan wanting to buy the PPV, or even bother to watch it if you are an HBO subscriber.

The ever professional IBF/WBO king Wladimir Klitschko, and the ever so loud WBA champ David Haye crossed tongues, not swords, for approximately 13 minutes, half of which were spent silent as Klitschko visibly angry at Hayes wild and abusive comments, paused for thought, and at one point, looked ready to lick Haye in front of the confused Max Kellerman. The ‘Face Off’ for Bernard Hopkins (WBC Light Heavyweight champ) now history making defeat over Jean Pascal was an enthralling watch. If you have not already, pop onto Youtube and have a look, its TV at it’s best. The difference with Hopkins v Pascal ll, was the fact the story had been set 5 months previous to their rematch of May this year, when Hopkins rose from the canvas to score a hotly disputed draw with the Quebec based light heavyweight. The first bout had controversial scoring, flash knockdowns, and what many thought, an overall unsavory result courtesy of the loud and loyal Canadian crowd. Klitschko V Haye does not have that luxury, before it deals with the actual fight (which I hope turns out to be a Heavyweight classic), it must first try to generate genuine worldwide interest, and it could do without the comments that arose on last nights show. But then again it is the whole reason fans are going to purchase the fight. Trash talk sells, ask Mike Tyson.

The fight itself, is a blockbuster by any standards. A massive unification fight showcasing two heavyweights who probably have more critics than followers, but who still, are probably the biggest fighters in the sport bar Filipino sensation Manny Pacquaio and the now re-activated Floyd Mayweather. Both of the fighters mentioned above will share an eery similarity if they ever do meet in the ring. Klitschko V Haye has been on and off for about 3 years now. It was put together twice, and the ‘Hayemaker’ (25-1 (23 KO’s) even managed to put a fight together with Vitali Klitshcko in that time, only for it to be cancelled for him to fight the giant Nicolay Valuev for his WBA strap in 2009. Such a horrendous run of events for fans of both camps has soured the proceedings, although the fight now looks like it will sell big in Europe at least, as David Hayes antics will be splashed across tabloids for the 2 weeks running up to the fight. It works, do not get me wrong, it is one of the reasons I, and millions of others watch Boxing. You can get a build up to a football, soccer or cricket match/game, but nothing can equal the anticipation, excitement and intrigue of a big fight build up, and the hype that comes with it. Trash talk will always be a part of it, but it generally emanates from the US and the UK, you will hard pitched to find the following comments emit from, say a European fighter. Wladimir Klitschko (55-3 (49 KO’s) is the complete opposite to a David Haye, a Ricardo Mayorga, or a Floyd Mayweather to an extent. He possesses a diplomatic, calm, even statesman like demeanor, and is as famous in his homeland of Ukraine for his charity work, as the work he does with his fists.

That is what made watching the ‘Face Off’ episode so hard. You see, personally I do have an allegiance to the former undisputed cruiserweight champion fighting out of London, England. I grew up not far from where he still operates, and I grew up watching his fights both on the BBC, all the way up to his UK PPV’s against Monte Barrett, John Ruiz and Valuev, and of course the awful ‘event’ with Audley Harrison. This is a fighter who has cashed in his chips in a big way, and whom I view more of as a businessman than a global boxing star. You get the impression if he did lose come July 2nd, that it would not matter that much to him, as there will be around £20 million in the bank from this fight alone, not to mention the £5 million he earned against Harrison. Throw in the October retirement date, the fact Vitali will not be fighting him regardless of the outcome with his brother (Vitali Klitschko fights Tomasz Adamek on September 10th in Poland for a defence of his WBC belt), and you get the distinct impression that Haye is doing a runner to Hollywood with no conscience as soon as that cheque clears. One can only come to this conclusion when you add up how much money it costs to follow such a fighter. The PPV fees for a UK subscriber; around £100 if you had started watching him post 2008, after dismantling Enzo Maccarinelli inside 2 rounds at London’s 02 arena. We see the glitzy Hayemaker t-shirts, the phone applications, the constant bad press that circles him everywhere he goes, it just smacks of raking in all possible funds available, before a pre-determined retirement date that will deny his fans the fights they have always wanted to see. Haye is a great fighter, really he is. he is devastating and explosive when he fights. His speed and agility for such a small heavyweight is astonishing, his power and finesse is worth paying a fee to see, but after last nights showing, there really is a line. A lot of people fail to se the bigger picture, that they have been dragged along on a 4 year journey to this fight, which has seen him only score one convincing victory along the way. Barrett had him down, Ruiz was an old example of his former self, Audley Harrison, enough said. The Valuev fight was a great tactical masterpiece, but that was a t a cost of missing out on him fighting both bothers back in 2008-2009.

Max Kellerman, host of HBO: face Off “What do you think of Wladimir Klitschko, David?” He’s a dickhead”. Probably the most stupid of all insults someone can throw at another human being. Its something that lacks intelligence, is cringe-worthy and childish. I mean it does not even make sense, well it makes money sense. This attitude definitely taps into that mainstream market of UK fans, the football/soccer heads who have no sport for the next 2 months, and will have been bored stupid by tennis for the last month or so. It is without doubt, the sporting event of the summer in Europe, its a huge fight, and if either win, you could argue it will be a career defining victory. Unfortunately for Haye, what little amount of fans he had outside of the UK, he would of lost them last night. I am not sure our fans or even media know the extent of how much Haye is derided and ridiculed outside his homeland, and in boxing circles. He is a bad advert for British boxing as a whole. It is not about whether you need to sell your PPV, and you need to generate support, its about the integrity of the sport, and most importantly how you represent your nation. It is bad enough that HBO are airing this ‘fight of the year’ for free as they are seriously not keen on David Haye, Vitali Klitschko or Wladimir for that matter. They never will be. Hardcore boxing fans are really excited about this fight, it could be an all time great, but someone is getting knocked out in 2 weeks, that much is academic. If it is to be Haye who is the victim, then he will never be able to repair what is left of his legacy on the international stage, last night was pretty much the last throw of the dice. Sure, he will remain popular amongst his fan base, he probably will become an actor as he has always wished, and will still be on peoples TV’s as the man who used to box. But amongst true boxing fans, he will be remembered for his bad PR stunts and lack of his respect for his opponents, in what still is the quintessential gentlemans sport.

Aside from the obvious negativity surrounding Haye’s comments, Klitschko did not have much to say. For the most part, he let Haye take the lead, and at one stage stayed silent for at least a minute, looked visibly seething at the Londoners comments. If Klitschko is to win this fight, he has to remain focused and not get sucked into the Hayemakers gameplan. It may look like the Englishman has the physiological advantage if you check out the clip on HBO/Youtube now, but that was recorded 6 weeks ago. Since then, Klitschko has been received very well in the UK, in particular his interviews on prime time SKY and BBC news shows have shown who he is and what he is about, and to be frank, none of it was bad press. He fits the bill perfectly for the actual marketing of the fight. Haye assumes the bad guy role, and Wlad remains placid, choosing not to engage in the childish antics such as the infamous decapitation t-shirts and video games that have preceded the build up to the 2 fights, one of which Haye pulled out of due due to an ‘injury’. Although, his UK TV contract with the broadcaster Setanta went under the same week, leaving him without a cable TV platform. (Brief history of Klitschko v Haye if you did not know before. You can probably now see why the Germany based fighter is so aggrieved and agitated when discussing David Haye). If Wladimir does get sucked into the mind games, then he loses his focus, his game plan and all of his training is out of the window, and he reverts back to the Klitschko bother who has been knocked out on 3 occasions, all before 2004 mind.

Wlad is trained by the legendary Kronk founder, Emmanuel Steward, although it is not an orthodox fighter-trainer relationship that exists between the two. Only last week, Klitschko appeared to be slightly negative, when discussing how they work together. Something along the lines of ‘I decide how I fight, not Emmanuel.’ It may of been misinterpreted, but it is a fact that ‘Dr Steelhamer’ has suffered devastating KO losses in the past, to Corrie Sanders in 2003 (knocked down 3 times before being rescued by the referee in round 2) and the to Lamon Brewster only 1 year later, going out on a TKO in round 5. He is nowhere nearly as careless these days, choosing to operate a safety based approach which is somewhat derided by some boxing fans, and is the reason HBO will not buy into the Heavyweight division anymore. Ask HBO president Ross Greenburg for clarification. Such a view is ignorant and ill founded, its just a fact of national interest. If he is not American/Mexican we are not interested, that kind of thing. Klitschko has the most devastating jab in modern heavyweight history, and when needed, KO’s his victims in a seriously bad way. He pummeled the likes of Samuel peter, Hasim Rahman, Ruslan Chagaev and Eddie Chambers within the distance, and to be honest has rarely been in trouble since he lost to Sanders all those years ago. He is a legit pound for pound fighter, but you could argue, his resume is as flawed as Haye’s. Do not forget that Klitschko pulled out on Britain’s Dereck Chisora, twice, whilst trying to make the fight with Haye happen. Chisora was never a worthy opponent, and was merely tossed to the gutter on both occasions, a pawn in this immensely tiring set of negotiations to make the bout. Still, Wlad is a classy boxer, but can be exposed, and if he fights with his heart, not his head, which Haye literally is begging him to do, then he loses.

Its an intriguing fight nonetheless. 50/50, not in the sense that they are evenly poised and matched, they both have contrasting attributes, strengths and styles, it just depends on who wins the mind games, and who enters the ring focused on one thing, winning. Nothing personally, just getting the job done, and achieving the sole goal of the fight, to win. Adam Booth, David Hayes trainer and manager, pulled off a stunning tactical victory when his boy George Groves defeated the highly rated Olympic medalist James de Gale only last month. There seems to be a great confidence omitting from Team Haye over this fight, and there is much talk of a so called ‘masterplan’ that will defeat Klitschko easily. I feel it is common sense, that Haye is betting all of his chips that he has dragged Klitschko far enough out of his comfort zone to want to go to war with him, and that he has to knock him out early. It can be done, and I feel probably will be done if it works, that is how important last nights Face Off was, the early suggestion is that David Haye is getting the upper hand on Wlad Klitschko, and his Ali-esque tactics have wound him up enough to want to kill him. I wonder if Haye will try and fight southpaw, or will it be a similar fight to when he picked away at Valuev, and stole a decision in Germany. I doubt a Decision of any kind is up for debate, especially as Wladimir so adored there. Haye has to win big, to save his reputation and prove he belongs with the Heavy weight greats. Either way, the damage to Haye’s standing on the global stage and his legacy in the sport is done, lets just pray that Wladimir is not bluffing though, as someone is going to end up with Pizza on their face. On PPV to. Food for thought.

RENO, NEVADA — There was a time not too many generations ago when boxing’s elite fought every few weeks. In an era when the top fighters usually fight no more than twice a year, world ranked heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola eyes his second victory in just under two weeks as he takes on veteran Kendrick Releford in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event at the Reno Events Center tonight. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening down the street at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino.

Tonight’s originally scheduled main event, which would have pitted rising light welterweight contender Josesito Lopez against Steve Upshur Chambers, was scratched not many days before Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) of Riverside, California stopped Nagy Aguilera in three rounds. Lopez, who shares trainer Henry Ramirez with Arreola, went down with an injured hand. While they were still standing in the ring after the stoppage, which took place on the May 14th Andre Ward-Arthur Abraham undercard, the idea of fighting again tonight was brought up and less than a week later the fight was announced.

Releford (22-14-2, 10 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas is a fighter that has been around the block and given an impressive list of solid fighters tough fights in his ten-year career. Just two years ago, Releford, who scaled 230-pounds Thursday, trimmed down and made a run at cruiserweight which ended with a third-round stoppage to Alexander Alexeev in July 2009. Since then Releford came back up around 220 and posted two wins before dropping an eight-round decision to former international amateur champion Luis Ortiz last August.

The word on Arreola, the WBC #2/IBF #5/WBO #13/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight contender, was if you could keep him busy enough he would stay in shape. After years of showing up to big fights carrying some extra baggage, Arreola came in looking lean at 234-pounds on May 14th. On Thursday, Arreola looked much the same as he came in at 236-pounds. With an impressive showing tonight, Arreola would be right in line for a return to the upper level of the division and the bigger paydays that come attached to those fights.

Arreola is not the only ranked heavyweight on the bill. In fact, the co-feature has even bigger implications, at least in the short-term, on the heavyweight title picture. Longtime top ten big man Tony Thompson (35-2, 23 KOs) of Silver Spring, Maryland takes on career-spoiler Maurice Harris (24-14-2, 10 KOs) of East Orange, New Jersey in a twelve-round bout with the IBF #2 heavyweight ranking on the line.

Harris, the IBF #6 ranked heavyweight, has taken an improbable road to get to this position once again his career. If there was ever a rollercoaster ride of a career, Maurice Harris’ fits the bill. Harris, still just 35-years-old, turned pro way back in 1992. Harris told 15rounds.com earlier in the week he feels the years of experienced have served him well going into the fight tonight.

“With age comes wisdom,” says Harris. “It was all a matter of being refocused. I always knew I knew had the talent, it was just the work ethic that I needed to improve. I have a couple more kids involved, so that changes things.”

When Harris came back to the ring last year, he made the move expecting to work his way back to this position. “I would have never come back to the ring if I didn’t feel I could do it,” says Harris, who previously fought for the IBF #2 ranking back in 2003 against Fres Oquendo. “From that first day in March that I first got back in the ring, I knew this is what I could do.”

Harris has victory of sorts over Thompson. Back in November of 2002, promoter Cedric Kushner put together a one-night heavyweight. Harris beat Gerald Nobles and Ray Austin, while Thompson advanced past Jeremy Williams and Derrick Jefferson to lead them into the finals. “When I fought him the first time, I didn’t know much about him,” recalled Harris. Harris lack of preparation did not hinder him, as he took the decision and the cash prize. “I hadn’t trained to fight a southpaw or anything. I didn’t know who I would be fighting, but that showed a lot of people where I was skill wise. I beat three different guys, three hungry guys.”

Thompson, the IBF #7 ranked heavyweight, has bounced back from his spirited effort in defeat against Wladimir Klitschko in 2008 with four consecutive stoppage victories. Most notably, Thompson halted former prospect Chazz Witherspoon in nine-rounds in December 2009. Thompson weighed in at 255 ½, while Harris came in at 244-pounds. The winner of the eliminator will eventually be matched with IBF #1 heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers with a crack at the title hanging in the balance.

“Tony’s a good fighter,” says Harris. “I’m not taking anything away from him. He’s up there for a reason. We are fighting for the number two position. It’s going to be an interesting fight. He’s hungry. I’m hungry. So it is going to be a good fight.”

In the first swing bout, 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (6-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California returns to the ring with the same turnaround as Arreola, having fought on the May 14th Ward-Abraham card in Carson, California. Molina will take on David Lopez (3-5-3) of Nampa, Idaho in a four-round light middleweight fight. Molina, who fought one more round than Arreola did two weeks ago in a four-round decision over Danny Figueroa, weighed in at 149, while Lopez scaled 149 ½-pounds.

In the other swing bout, rising super featherweight prospect Guy Robb (3-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will take his most experienced opponent to date Noe Lopez Jr. (7-7, 4 KOs) of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico in a bout scheduled for either four or six-rounds. Robb, who scaled 128-pounds, is coming in off of a thrilling four-round decision over Manuel Morales in March. Lopez, who has lost when he has stepped up to the prospect level in the past, came in at 131-pounds.

One of a few fights that have fight of the night potential is the six-round super featherweight rematch between Michael Ruiz Jr. (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of Fresno, California and Jonathan Alcantara (4-4-2) of Novato, California. Ruiz pressed the action for the most part, but was never quite able to pin Alcantara down. Alcantara boxed well at range as each fighter took a card 58-56, with the third one coming up even at 57-57. At the weigh-in it was clear there was some animosity between the two fighters. During the post-scale photo op, Alcantara shoved Ruiz. When asked what he did to provoke Alcantara, Ruiz stated, “I just smiled at him.” Ruiz came in at 119, while Alcantara came in at 120-pounds.

There is another former U.S. Olympian on the card, but from the 2000 team, as Ricardo Williams Jr. (17-2, 10 KOs) of Cincinatti, Ohio continues his comeback against journeyman Chris Gray (13-14, 1 KO) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the six-round curtain raiser. Williams, who claimed silver in Sydney, Australia, weighed in at 148-pounds, as did Gray. Williams has scored three consecutive stoppages against mostly limited opposition.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 10 Rounds
Arreola 236
Releford 230

IBF Heavyweight Championship Eliminator, 12 Rounds
Harris 244
Thompson 255 ½

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Molina 149
Lopez 149 ½

Super Featherweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Robb 128
Lopez 131

Super Bantamweights, 6 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 119
Alcantara 120

Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Williams 148
Gray 148

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF/WBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBA Champion David Haye will finally meet on July 2nd in Hamburg, Germany.

“We are very glad that this mega-fight will finally come true,” Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, said Wednesday. “We expect more than 150 TV stations worldwide to show the fight live or on a delay. Klitschko vs. Haye is definitely one of the top highlights in sport.”

“Also, Hamburg is the second-biggest city in Germany after Berlin, so you have a huge potential fan base and the stadium is one a new stadium built just a few years ago,” Boente said. “We are sure that because of the city and the stadium that we will have a sellout crowd.”

“I am very happy that Haye finally dares to step into the ring with me,” Klitschko, 35, said. “He already ducked out of two fights with me and Vitali and is only trash-talking and producing stupid shirts. Now he has to prove in the ring what he has got. I have been waiting for this fight for over two years.”

Said the 30-year-old Haye: “I always said I would knock out Wladimir, get his belts and will then finish up his brother Vitali to end my career on the peak. Wladimir has only fought wimps and cowards so far. I will show him his limitations and what it is like to fight a real champion. That is a promise.”

“I’m very excited about it because it’s eventually time to make it happen. Finally. But it’s not matter of fact that David Haye will show up on July 2,” Klitschko said. “But I hope he will. We will face each other a couple of times at press conferences and I am a little bit worried about it because he is putting so much pressure on himself. He’s consistently putting himself in a corner and now the action has to follow. Now he has to follow through with all the promises.”

“I am completely recovered and I have been cleared by the doctor, so I am ready to go,” Klitschko said. “I can train now, but it’s early. I do will do the same preparation I always do. I’m, of course, taking this fight like any other fight –seriously. I know exactly what to expect from him and what to do with him. My game plan has not changed since I was preparing to fight him in June 2009. To me nothing has changed.”

Then Klitschko unveiled his dry wit: “To make it more clear, I am going to fight David Haye. After the clearance from the doctor, David Haye will get his wish to fight the younger, weaker Klitschko, as he says. It is his dream come true.”

“This will be the second heavyweight unification fight that we have promoted. The first was between Wladimir and Ibragimov at a sold out Madison Square Garden, but this fight between Wladimir and Haye is on a totally different level,” said Tom Loeffler, the managing director of Klitschko’s K2 Promotions. “It has been talked about for the last two years and now is the premiere event in boxing. The Klitschkos are the only boxers that can regularly fill the large soccer stadiums in Europe and the Imtech Arena in Hamburg is a great venue

As the old saying goes it’s not the size of the dog in the fight it’s the size of the fight in the dog” and this certainly applies to “Fast” Eddie Chambers. He lives in a world of Heavyweight giants, pretty much every opponent in his career has had height, reach and weight advantages over him. As you can see by his 36-2(18) record among the pro’s he’s more than held his own. The 29 year old debuted back in 2000 and learned on the job until he started 2007 when he made a move from the Heavyweight pack beating Derric Rossy KO7, Dominick Guinn PTS10 & then outpointing Calvin Brock in an IBF title eliminator. That win set him up to fight Alexander Povetkin, a former Olympic gold medalist. It was to be Chambers first defeat but he had learned a lot from fighting on the road for the first time as a pro. After four more wins the later being against Samuel Peter who he outpointed. He again traveled to Germany, this time he took on 6’7 behemoth Alexander Dimitrenko who outweighed him by in excess of 40 pounds. Not to be denied he boxed the fight of his life stunner the previously unbeaten Ukrainian again on points. The win set him up for a title challenge when he met Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in early 2010. Like many men previous he found it difficult to get past the big man and was stopped late in the twelfth. It hasn’t affected his desire, after 11 months off when he let the battle scars mentally & physically heal he rebounded to outpoint old adversary Rossy over the distance back in February. No he intends to watch several other fights play out over the next few months before looking for another big fight.

Hello, Eddie, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Back in February you returned from a near year long absence and beat Derric Rossy. Can you tell us about the fight and how happy you were to be back in action?

Eddie Chambers – Umm well I wasn’t happy with my performance. I feel like to a degree I gave my best but I still expected more from me even in the weakened state I was. It was a good comeback fight; there was a lot on the line. I just really wanted to dazzle the crowd and also get a stoppage, that’s what I expected. Beat the guy like I beat him the last time (Chambers scored a seventh round TKO over Derric Rossy in 2007) Of course he’s gotten better, but no matter how much better he is than before I think, I’m on another level and I think I’d have proved it further if I’d stopped him. But all the respect to Rossy who took the shots and continued to fight the way he did through out the fight.

Anson Wainwright – Though it’s early days when are you looking at fighting next & who are you targeting?

Eddie Chambers – Well honestly with me I’m just targeting the top guy. My goal obviously is to be world champion and I’ve been close at one time or another. I think that’s where I should be looking but everything that will get me toward that, any kind of fight with name fighters. I know there’s some fights already made up and I just want to let them happen so I won’t make any decision right away with Haye fighting Wladimir, Adamek fighting Kevin McBride. So there’s really not a lot for me to go at right now as far as top contenders for the titles. So we’ll just sit back and wait just a bit. Then jump in with whoever’s ready. Of course you know and everybody knows I’ll fight anybody and I’m looking for that soon. So hopefully I get that opportunity to fight for the title again. I’d like to fight Haye but of course he’s fighting Wladimir and not looking to fight a tough fight with me who’s not really to well known to away fans. He wouldn’t have much to make from me & Wladimir as well, but it’s not to be because what’s the point he’s beaten me already all he has is to lose. So why not just go about there business and fight each other and leave me in the rear view. I’d love to get those guys in the ring & hopefully that comes very very soon.

Anson Wainwright – Of course in 2010 you challenged Wladimir Klitschko for his IBF & WBO Heavyweight titles; you were stopped late in the twelfth. What can you tell us about that fight from your point of view? Was it a good learning curve despite the defeat? How good do you think he is?

Eddie Chambers – You’ve got to say great. I believe I’m just as good as anybody period, skill wise and ability wise but they go into the fight with a plan coupled with Emmanuel Steward but there’s no unbeatable force right now. I believe If I had had the right plan and been in the right state of mind to execute that plan I think just as he was successful, I could of been successful, it just happens that way. But he has a heck of a championship pedigree, he’s been there years now, he’s been world number one for a long time. He has to go down in the era as one of the greats of Boxing especially Heavyweight Boxing. So the plan they had worked to perfection as it does most other times. When I say perfection there was a lot of difficulty he had with me in some areas as far as landing some shots, there was frustration there but that’s because of my ability and toughness. I didn’t bring enough focus to deal with the preparation he had. I was in great shape I was prepared physically but mentally I wasn’t prepared for what It meant, when you see 55,000+ in the stadium I realized this is something big and then when you get in the ring you realize there’s a whole lot more on the line and you have to get your feet wet a little bit. I didn’t have a huge amateur background, I did have experience but I was never really able to see that before except in the fight before which was Dimitrenko which was on a much smaller scale, though it was important to my career. I’ve seen it and fought the great Klitschko now I have to prove I’m great. I may never get another shot at him (Wladimir) but at least there will be some guys that I can prove that on in the future.

Anson Wainwright – You didn’t fight in 11 months after the Klitschko fight. What did you do with your time off?

Eddie Chambers – Well I took about 11 month’s total. I took it off because it was necessary. I even talked to Emmanuel Steward and he gave advice to me. You see a lot of guys and they get stopped or lose a big fight and it takes a lot out of them physically and mentally and guys comeback straight away and you can’t do that. You take that physical trauma and that’s enough as it is then you take the mental beating you give yourself for losing. You lose that opportunity and it hurts, it takes some getting used to it. I’m not going to lie I sat around most days and didn’t enjoy anything for awhile. I didn’t go outside, I didn’t see people because of how I felt, it hurt. There was so much riding on it in my mind. It takes some serious heart, it’s a rough period and you have to find something which you enjoy and that’s what I did in the time off and tried to enjoy myself best I can. Once I got back I didn’t forget the Klitschko thing because that’s something you need to remember in your mind but now I’m turning the page in my career and trying to start another run.

Anson Wainwright – Who are members of team Eddie Chambers; Who’s your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you train at?

Eddie Chambers – My manager and trainer is one person right now Robert Murray Snr and my promoter is Dan Goossen. I train at James Shuler’s Memorial gym in West Philadelphia.

Anson Wainwright – You weigh around 210 which isn’t much over the Cruiserweight limit. How tempting is it to drop down a few pounds and try to win a world title there? Especially with a possible Super 6 tournament and even a fight with fellow Philly fighter Steve Cunningham?

Eddie Chambers – Oh I would hope I never have to fight Steve. He’s a friend of mine but we both understand the sport. It was tempting (To drop down to Cruiserweight) at one time; it was more tempting when I was challenging to be Heavyweight champion of the world. I could say hey while I’m waiting I could prove how good an athlete I am by going down and fight for the Cruiserweight championship as well. That’s a little greedy but that’s a challenge, that’s the kind of thing I was trying to put out there. I thought of it at one time but I just believe going down would be like a step back, most people would expect me to do so well and dominate what if god forbid I had a tough fight or lost a fight in the Cruiserweight division their going to look at me an say he wasn’t much anyway. My stock would drop, even If it was a tough fight where they expect you to blow these guys out because your bigger faster and stronger and they say he’s not as good as we thought he was.

Anson Wainwright – You’re from Pittsburgh can you tell us about how life was growing up and how it took you into Boxing?

Eddie Chambers – Well my upbringing was tough, very tough at times. It as tough on me dealing with some kids, I was a real good kid and it made it more tough. I think what got me into it was my father, he used to fight too and he could see what was going on. He heard something’s about some of the kids and I really didn’t have the most confidence. He got a bit tired of hearing about me dealing with some guys giving me problems so he said “I’m going to create a monster” make me a tough guy or at least at that time give me some confidence. I was a little chubby kid and and some kids picked on me not physically more verbally. So he took me to the gym so I could defend myself, I didn’t honestly want to do it, It took me awhile to get me in the gym and stay in the gym. I was trying to avoid the fights at all costs. He took me in and the first day I sparred, handled the kid. I did well and I was sort of surprised but it didn’t do to much to me because I had a couple of tough sparring sessions after that and I was thinking this wasn’t something I really wanted to do, get hit in the face and head and didn’t plan it as a career for myself. So I just went out the next tournament, the Golden Gloves. I fought the first fight and I beat the kid half to death basically and I was thinking this was a fluke so in the next round I stopped the guy in the first round. So I was like wow I’ll keep going till I lose. It took me ten fights before I lost in the amateurs and I had 8 straight stoppages and that loss was just before a National tournament. I thought this is something to do and I seem pretty good at it and as I progressed I continued to get better and better and better. I went to the Olympic trials; I tried that didn’t make it. I think I was more suited to the professional game. I only had 4 years amateur, a lot of kids have there first fight at like 8 years old. I turned professional at 18 and did more of my real learning when I turned professional, once I go to that point I pretty much had everything under control and I real started to develop at that time and I learned at a good pace. That’s pretty much how it happened.

Anson Wainwright – One of the biggest fights in Boxing appears likely to take place this summer with Wladimir Klitschko unifying with David Haye. What do you think of that fight how do you see it going?

Eddie Chambers – Honestly I think David Haye has a good shot if he can land a good shot. But I think by 4, 5, 6 Wladimir will hit his groove, use his jab, line that right hand up. It will be difficult for Haye to land, Haye could land over the top and with his speed you never know. I think Wladimir’s height and reach it’ll be hard for David Haye. Towards the middle rounds Wladimir will land a couple of right hands and it’ll be over.

Anson Wainwright – Away from Boxing can you tell us a little about yourself, what are your Interests & Hobbies?

Eddie Chambers – Most of them are still sports besides video games and when I’m playing them there sports games. I love to play Basketball and I also love to bowl. I’ve been working at my bowling game and been doing pretty well with it. Just spend time with friends; I’ve just done a road trip with family and friends to visit others. These are things I like to do.

Anson Wainwright – Have you ever bowled a perfect game?

Eddie Chambers – No, I’ve bowled a clean game but never a perfect game. Honestly my highest score and some people would laugh is about 215. I’m learning still. It’s fun and a good sport. Hopefully one day I’m good enough to play in the US open, I’ll keep working on it.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for the Heavyweight division?

Eddie Chambers – Honestly it’s not an I’m going to knock everyone out type of message, I just encourage the guys out there to give me a shot, or lets make great fights for the fans to enjoy. I think that would be the best thing to Boxing especially the Heavyweight division. If we can get that done we could really turn some heads. People mention MMA more than Boxing and it’s tough when you perform in it and not get a real fan base. I just really hope we can make the best fights out there.

Best Wishes & thanks for your time Eddie.

Anson Wainwright

15rounds.com

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Heavyweight champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko will each fight anticipated bouts in the coming months.

Wladimir will defend his IBF/WBO and Ring Magazine world championships against WBA champ David Haye on either June 25th or July 2nd in a bout that has been brewing for a couple of years while Vitali will defend his WBC strap against Tomasz Adamek providing Adamek gets by Kevin McBride this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.

“It’s pretty simple: Wladimir was the first one in 2009 who wanted to face Haye after Haye attacked him first, verbally in London at a press conference for a charity cause,” said Klitschko manager Bernd Boente. “From the beginning it was always going in that direction. From the contract side it’s possible it could change but, as of now, they made the decision between themselves.”

There still remains a possibility that Vitali (42-2, 39 KOs), who is coming off a first-round knockout of mandatory challenger Odlanier Solis on March 19, will also fight June 4 against an opponent to be determined in Germany.

“Maybe Vitali will fight then, but it depends on the TV situation in Germany,” Boente said.

“It will be Wladimir fighting Haye and Vitali is fighting Adamek, but Adamek has to win or he’s out,” Boente said.

Boente and Adam Booth, Haye’s manager and trainer, were in New York last week meeting with American television executives about deals for the U.S. rights to the fights. HBO is the likely outlet, Boente said.

“There is interest in America but, in the end, my gut feeling tells me HBO is the station,” Boente said. “Last week we went to HBO, to Epix and to Showtime. It’s not written in stone, but I think we are back in business with HBO.”

“June 25 or July 2, but it really depends on the stadium deal,” Boente said. “We are still not sure which one it will be in. It could still be outside of Germany, but it has to be agreed on by Adam Booth and myself. This is a true 50-50 deal.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the much anticipate Heavyweight championship between recognized world champion Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye appears to have been finalized.

More than two years in the making — thanks to Haye’s constant verbal trashing of Klitschko and his older brother, fellow titlist Vitali Klitschko — the fight will take place either June 25 or July 2, both sides said.

However, it is not signed yet.

“It’s 99 percent,” Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, told ESPN.com Sunday. “This week it will be finally signed and also announced. But it is not signed.

“We will sign it very soon. There are no question marks anymore,” Boente said. “The fighters have to sign. [Haye manager/trainer] Adam Booth has to sign. I have to sign. Wladimir [has to sign]. As long as it’s not signed, it’s 99 percent.”

“I am really pleased that we have closed a deal on this fight,” Klitschko told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

“The terms were right, it’s a fair deal — it’s a 50-50 split. That’s what they wanted and that’s what I wanted,” Haye told the BBC. “Here it is — end of June, beginning of July. Let’s get ready to rumble.”

“It will be in a European time zone, but England is out,” Boente said. “It could be one of three different stadiums in Germany. We also have three options outside of Germany. All these things will be discussed A to Z between Adam and myself.

“In the contract we have a paragraph that we do all of these things together because that is what is best,” he added. “Adam will be involved in the stadium deal. We will also talk to American TV stations HBO and Showtime. It could also be on pay-per-view in the U.S. if we can’t find an agreement.”

“The points are agreed to, and I think both sides are happy,” Boente said. “No options, no rematches. One fight. If we want to do another one and sit down afterward and see if it makes sense, we will do that. But this is a straight one-fight deal. It’s obvious that if there is public interest in another fight, it will probably come.”

“Our contract with Chisora says if someone is injured — Wladimir still is — there is no fight,” Boente said. “It is the same injury from December, and it has not healed properly. So the April fight is off, but June or July, that is different. I can only tell you the truth. That is what the doctor said.

“The doctor checked Wladimir and said it is not possible to fight April 30. Why should anybody question it? However it looks, I can only tell you this is the truth and he is one of the top doctors in Germany.”

“Knock on wood, nothing happens. Vitali has to win his fight in two weeks against Solis, which is a very tough fight,” Boente said. “If he comes out of that fight, he is also a possibility. In the contract it says Vitali or Wladimir.”

“Haye is now willing to fight Vitali,” Boente said. “I think it will be Wladimir to face Haye, but it’s not a precondition from Adam Booth or David Haye. In these negotiations they were very flexible. David said he was also willing to fight Vitali, which is different than last time. I think all sides acted as real gentlemen. That is why we reached the goal this time.”

“We had this door open all the time,” Boente said. “Haye walked away last time because Wladimir was going to fight Chisora. But Wladimir was always willing to fight Haye in July if they came back to talk again. They did that.”

Trainer Emanuel Steward talks Lee – McEwan; Miguel Cotto and Wladimir Klitschko

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former two-division world champion Tomasz Adamek will challenge either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko in September in Adamek’s homeland of Poland.

“I am ecstatic. I can’t even put it into words,” Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said. “To work so hard with Tomasz with a goal in mind — moving him up to heavyweight, getting a heavyweight title fight. We got him there and we got a good deal.”

Said Bernd Boente, who manages the Klitschko brothers, “We made some changes, their side and our side. We now agree on everything. We have a go from both sides for a fight in September.”

The fight will take place at a new soccer stadium being built in either Warsaw or Wroclaw, Poland. Duva said there are four new stadiums being built in Poland for the 2012 European Soccer Championships and that two of the stadiums are bidding for the fight.

“There is this window of opportunity for this fight because of the stadiums being built in Poland,” Duva said. “It will be a huge event in Poland.”

If both Klitschkos were to lose, the deal with Adamek would be dead. If one loses, Adamek, a former light heavyweight titlist before winning the cruiserweight championship, would face the other brother under terms of the deal, Boente and Duva said.

If both Klitschkos win, the choice of Adamek’s opponent would be decided by the Klitschko side.

“Either one, their option,” Duva said. “We don’t care which one it is. They have to tell us something like 90 days before the fight which one it will be. Tomasz’s attitude is, ‘I want a heavyweight title fight. I don’t care which one of them I fight.'”

“Knock on wood, both brothers win their respective fights and then we will make a decision,” Boente said.

However, if they both win it is likely to be Wladimir against Adamek, both sides said.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that talks have broken down for a proposed spring bout between recognized Heavyweight champion and WBA Heavyweight champion David Haye. Klitshcko will now defend his title against Derek Chisora, who Klitshcko was supposed to defend against until Klitschko pulled out with a rib injury.

“I am very happy that we have found a new date for the fight so quickly,” Klitschko said. “Chisora insulted me many times and that is why I still have unfinished business with him. He is a very good boxer but as a person he is a loser. Like I had [planned] in December, I will now teach him a lesson at the end of April.”

Still, Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente said he was confident the Klitschko-Haye fight will eventually be made.

“I’m pretty sure the fight will happen. I’m very positive about it,” he said. “We were close with all the details. It was really a question about the date and venue. We always have to bring RTL and Sky together as our main TV partners and then go from there. We hadn’t gotten into details about U.S. TV, but that would have been HBO or Showtime, and I would prefer Showtime.”

“We wanted to do the fight April 30 with Haye. We had two stadiums available in Germany, and coming to Germany was not a problem for Haye,” Boente said. “They only wanted neutral officials, judges, referee, all that. That is no problem. We agreed on all the points, but the major issue was Sky was not willing to do a second pay-per-view in April.”

Junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan is slated to fight April 16 in England on Sky Box Office, even though he does not have a set opponent.

“We asked them to change the Khan date, maybe move it back to May, but they didn’t want to do that,” Boente said.

“We couldn’t find a date after April, not in May or June,” Boente said. “Either there was no date for RTL or Sky or a stadium [because of the heavy soccer schedule]. We couldn’t believe it, but that’s Sky’s decision. April 30 was the perfect date for RTL and for a stadium, but Sky never has done two pay-per-views in one month. Klitschko-Haye would be a way bigger pay-per-view event [than Khan].”

Boente said the earliest date for the fight they could come up with that matched the networks and venue availability was July 2.

Both sides were willing to fight on that date, Boente said. However, he said that the Haye and manager/trainer Adam Booth refused to allow Klitschko to take the April 30 interim fight with Chisora.

“They would not accept that, but Wladimir was not willing to wait another six months and have it be 10 months since his last fight against Sam Peter [in September],” Boente said.

“I think the fight will come, but too bad it’s not now because of the date and venue,” Boente said. “We could still do it if they would agree to July 2. We still have the door open for that, but Wladimir is going to have a fight in April. Haye can also do a fight in between, maybe the mandatory with Ruslan Chagaev. We are not opposed to that.”

“This news is a fantastic late Christmas present,” the 27-year-old Chisora said. “I always believed that I would fight Klitschko, and my faith has been repaid. I was a bit worried that he might try and fight an easier touch, but I think I’ve earned my opportunity. I was gutted when Wladimir pulled out of our fight just a couple of days beforehand. But now I’ve got another chance to take his titles away. He’s a great world champion, but his time at the top is well and truly up.

“My promoter, Frank Warren, has done a great job in getting me this opportunity because there was no guarantee Wladimir would fight me again after he got injured.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, recognized Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko tore his abdominal muscle and his fight just three days away with undefeated yet unheralded Dereck Chisora in Germany.

However, during his final workout hitting the pads with trainer Emanuel Steward, Klitschko suffered the injury, manager Bernd Boente told ESPN.com.

“He was hitting the mitts and it just happened,” Boente said. “The fight is canceled. The pain is extreme. He couldn’t even sit in the car on the way to the hospital.” Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) had gone through a public workout earlier in the day, although they are light and just for show. However, Boente said a couple of hours later, he was working with Steward for real when he felt a sudden pain.

“The doctor said he needs four to six weeks to heal,” Boente said. “Wladimir has never had to cancel a fight before. He is totally upset. He had a great training camp in the Austrian mountains. He was in fantastic shape and he’s very, very upset and very sad. And not only for him but for all the people who bought tickets to the sold-out arena. We were all looking forward to the fight. We are sorry for the fans and for our TV partners. What can you do?”

“The abdominal muscle is injured and therefore Wladimir Klitschko will not be able to fight on Saturday,” Dr. Sven Roessing, an orthopedic specialist at University Hospital in Mannheim, said in a statement released by Klitschko’s K2 Promotions.

Boente said the entire card, which also was to feature cruiserweight contender Ola Afolabi and middleweight contender Andy Lee, has been called off.

Boente said he was not sure if the fight with Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) would be rescheduled. “We don’t know. This just happened,” Boente said. “We have to check all the options.”

If all the great heavyweights aren’t NFL linebackers these days, they’re fighting in Germany.

That means there aren’t many in the dinosaur division, perhaps just a Wladimir Klitschko defeat away from extinction.

Klitschko might be at a crossroads that determines whether he will ever have a chance to move on and into consideration for greatness.

If he can’t dispel lingering questions left by a difficult victory five years ago over powerful Samuel Peter in a rematch on Sept. 11 in Frankfurt, he is in danger of being an oddity in a division that has become a museum piece since Mike Tyson’s self-destructive era.

Klitschko’s trainer, Emanuel Steward, thinks he will ensure further opportunity at securing his place in history with a knockout of Peter, a Nigerian who knocked down Klitschko three times in 2005 before the Ukrainian survived the dramatic for decision.

The technically-proficient Klitschko, likeable and philosophical, has never fulfilled his potential. That’s not exactly his fault. Steward remembers Lennox Lewis.

For years, Lewis was the frustrating face of the could-be, wannabe until he beat Evander Holyfield 1999 and then Tyson in 2002.

Boxing wouldn’t be what it is without bitter rivals, business partners who exchange insults, then punches while enriching each other and ultimately defining one another. What would Ali have been without Joe Frazier and George Foreman?

Klitschko never has had a Frazier or Foreman or Holyfield or even a Tyson. In time, Steward believes he will. In part, there is longevity as the very best in a division with few rivals, much less contenders.

“If you keep winning, something is going to come up,’’ Steward said Wednesday from Klitschko’s training camp in Austria.

Steward looks at David Haye and sees an emerging rival, a potential business partner who can unlock Klitschko’s designs on history.

“Wlad just needs to get some big-name opponents, and I think that will happen,” said Steward., who is nervous about the Peter rematch. “You can only be judged by your performances against the best, and unfortunately, Wlad hasn’t had anything to that degree.

“But the heavyweight division will always spring up a situation. I think if a fight with David Haye takes place, which Wladimir has said he thinks it will, he’ll be considered a great fighter. If you’re the heavyweight champion and you keep winning, eventually something is going to come up.”

So far, I’m not sure I’ve seen much about Haye that says great. Haye is a good talker, which is good for business, In the ring, however, little has yet to emerge that says he can shake Klitschko’s singular hold on the heavyweight division. That said, I hope Haye’s is all that Steward say he is.

At 34, Klitschko has a few years – four or five — left in which to finally fulfill all that he might have in a different era. For the here-and-now, however, there is the immediate task at hand. Beat Samuel Peter, or the heavyweights are one step closer to a spot in a glass case next to that Tyrannosaurus rex exhibition.

A couple of jabs
· Newly-minted Filipino Congressman Manny Pacquiao must be learning how to play politics. After Antonio Margarito was licensed last week for the Nov. 13 fight at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Pacquiao was quoted as saying he doesn’t believe Margarito’s repeated claim that he didn’t know former trainer Javier Capetillo tried to load up his gloves during Tapegate before his loss to Shane Mosley in 2009. No matter what Pacquiao believes, the controversy could plant some doubt in Margarito, who might begin to wonder at his ability to punch regardless of whether he knew about the tape job. Pacquiao is trying to plant that seed of doubt

· There is plenty of moral chest-thumping about whether Margarito should have been licensed in Texas after California stood by its revocation of his license. Like so many others, I also believe that Margarito knew that Capitello was trying to turn hands into a loaded weapon. I’ll say it again: If you’ve got a rock in your shoe, you know it. But there has yet to be any evidence that Margarito is lying. There is just a lot of preaching from a very crowded pulpit.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, ESPN will show the September 11 rematch between World Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter

The fight will take place Live at 5pm eastern time and be shown on the network’s on-line streaming arm of espn3.com.

The championship fight will also air at 8 p.m. ET on same-day tape delay on ESPN Deportes with a Sept. 12 replay at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“We are always looking for opportunities to deliver quality boxing matches on multiple platforms,” said Doug Loughrey, ESPN’s boxing director of programming. “We are pleased to present another world title heavyweight bout to United States-based boxing fans.”

“I had to wait a long time for the rematch,” Peter said. “Now I will finish what I missed five years ago. This time I am going straight in and take him out. It’s not going to last real long.”

“Peter was one of the toughest fights of my career,” Klitschko said. “He is an extremely hard puncher and has improved a lot in his last [few] fights. I know what to expect on Sept. 11 and I will be well prepared.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the proposed September 11th showdown between world Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin is off due Povetkin missing a press conference earlier in the week.

The IBF mandated that Klitschko start negotiation with the next highest available contender Samuel Peter and all indications is that fight will be made for the same date.

K2 Promotions, Klitschko’s company, complained to the IBF about Povetkin missing the news conference because it had won the promotional rights to the fight with a purse bid of $8.313 million. With so much money on the line, K2 needed him there to promote the fight, which was to take place at the 55,000-seat Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt.

The IBF sided with Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) and ordered him to begin negotiating with the next available contender, Peter. The former titleholder knocked Klitschko down three times but lost a decision in their 2005 title elimination fight in Atlantic City, N.J.

“The IBF ruled that Povetkin had violated its rules by failing to come to the press conference this past Monday,” John Hornewer, Klitschko’s attorney, told ESPN.com. “The IBF had told him he needed to attend based on his duty to provide reasonable promotional support to fight and he didn’t get on the plane. Then the next day, he went to the doctor to get a doctor’s excuse. The IBF has instructed us to begin negotiating with the next available contender.”

“They were told beforehand that they had to be at the press conference to help promote the event,” Said Bernd Boente, manager of Klitschko. “That was their obligation after the purse bid.”

One of the theories behind the pullout was that Povetkin’s trainer Teddy Atlas felt his pupil wasn’t ready for the challenge.

“I think he deseves the chance to develop,” Atlas said. “I’m in the middle of training this kid, which is obviously an important time in his life for the future of his career. I’m doing my job. I am not moved by the title fight and what the biggest fight is out there. My job is to do the best job I can for the fighter and to make sure he is the best he can be when he’s in a situtation to fight, whether to fight Klitschko, Samuel Peter, [Tomasz] Adamek or Joe Shmoe.

“I am not controlled or dictated by anything other than that. I told him from the beginning I wanted more time. I was never really for the fight right now. Let me have more time with him. Does the mandatory dictate when he fights or do the circumstances of him having the best chance to win the fight?”

“I get 10 percent of that, but I decided the most important thing was to do what was the best for the fighter,” Atlas said. “My judgment was is the fighter ready for this moment? My opinion was more time would be good.”

“Wladimir felt honestly that Povetkin would not show up because Teddy Atlas kept telling people he didn’t think he was ready for the fight, so Wladimir was concerned,” Boente said. “He wants to fight Sept. 11 and we appreciate the IBF making a decision quickly so we can save the date, because if Wladimir wins in September, he wants to come back and fight for a third time this year in December.”

“Wladimir and myself think the Peter fight is a great matchup,” Boente said. “It’s a rematch of a good fight. There are a lot of people more interested in that fight than the Povetkin fight.”

“The IBF has done the right thing and we are negotiating a deal. I expect it to go a lot smoother and a lot quicker than the previous negotiation Klitschko had with Povetkin because we actually want the fight,” Said Ivalo Gotzev, who manages Peter. “This is a very big fight for the German population and we’re going to make it a very big fight for the heavyweight fans around the world.

“You have an exciting matchup that has already proven to be a competitive one. I still get people asking me how Samuel lost when he knocked the guy down three times. We are going to finish what we started in September 2005. This year, it will be a September to remember.”

Last month via a popular social networking site, WBO, IBF, RING and IBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko issued a challenge to his WBA counterpart David Haye. The pair were due to fight last year, but Haye pulled out of the fight due to a back injury. Haye would later enter talks with Wladimir’s older brother and holder of the WBC title Vitali, but pulled out or talks to fight the then WBA champion Nikolai Valuev. Haye would go on to earn a close decision against in Nürnberg, Germany.
The video message in which he accused Haye of ducking him and his brother, Wladimir thundered “David, you’ve bitched out on fighting both Klitschko brothers twice already and now is the time to make it happen.” He went on to say “On behalf of the boxing fans around the world, I am officially calling you out to fight me, you can’t run away from me forever and you need to follow through with this fight to get respect. I’m ready, what are you waiting for?” Shortly after the video message from Wladimir, Haye confirmed that trainer and manager Adam Booth is set for negotiations with the Brothers, who are based in Germany. Haye revealed “After a meeting on Thursday I will know more, But until then, I’ll leave Adam to it. I’m relaxing and enjoying myself now.” However he did not specify which brother he would face.

In his last outing Haye (24-1 22KO’s) stopped the tough American two time WBA title holder John Ruiz in the 9th round. Dropping him in the 1st, 5thand 6th rounds. Haye nicknamed the Hayemaker for his punching power has only had three fights at heavyweight stopping gatekeeper Monte Barrett in five rounds. Followed by a fight with the seven foot giant Nikolai Valuev where he captured the WBA world title. Before his step up to heavyweight, Haye was the undisputed cruiserweight champion. Scoring a 7th round TKO over Jean Marc Mormeck in 2007 to capture the WBA and WBC cruiserweight titles. Four months later he went on to destroy the WBO title holder Enzo Maccarinelli in two lop sided rounds. The only blip on the Londoners record came against the tough Carl Thompson (who holds two victories over Chris Eubank) back in 2004. After stopping Haye in the 5th round, Thompson retired twelve months later.

Wladimir (54-3 48KO’s) has three losses on his record the last one coming in 2004 a KO against Lamon Brewster For the vacant WBO title. Strangely enough all three of his losses were stoppage losses. The others being a 2nd round TKO against Corrie Sanders and an 11th round TKO way back in 1998 to journeyman Ross Puritty. Since the 2004 loss to Brewster, Wlad has notched up a twelve fight winning streak earning him the WBO, IBF, Ring and IBO titles. His most recent victories coming against Eddie Chambers, Ruslan Chagaev, Hasim Rahman, Tony Thompson, Sultan Ibragimov, and a rematch against his last conqueror Lamon Brewster, who he retired in the 6th round. Wladimir is widely regarded as the man to beat at heavyweight closely followed by his older brother Vitali.

The eldest of the Klitschko’s, WBC king Vitali (39-2 37KO’s) had his last outing against Kevin Johnson in December 2009, winning a wide unanimous decision. A pretty rare thing for Vitali, who sports the highest KO ratio of any heavyweight champion in history currently standing at 90.2%. Other notable victories have come against the tough Chris Arreola (who retired in round 10.) Britain’s Danny Williams (TKO 8) who knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004 and Herbie Hyde (KO 2) for the WBO title in 1999(his first world title) His only two losses have come in the form of stoppage losses against Chris Byrd (RTD 9) for his WBO belt. Bryd was later out boxed over twelve rounds by Wladimir. In 2003 Vitali suffered his last loss against the then WBC and IBO champion, the legendary Lennox Lewis. The fight was stopped in the 6th round due to a nasty cut over Klitschko’s eye. Vitali has since claimed Lewis promised a rematch, but he retired straight after the fight. Vitali was ahead 58-56 on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Following the loss to Lewis, Vitali notched up three more wins before entering a four year retirement. Coming back in 2008 to retire Samuel Peter in the 8th to recapture his WBC crown. Since 2008 he has embarked on a four fight winning streak, his next fight coming against former European champion Albert Sosnowski. Vitali has never been down in his pro career and never received a standing count.

It is still undecided which Brother Haye will be facing yet, but one thing is for certain, there is no love lost between the brothers and Haye. Last year Haye wore a t-shirt depicting him holding the severed heads of the pair. Wladimir and Vitali found it very disrespectful and were both highly offended. In response the brothers threatened Haye with the now infamous “pizza face,” promising to batter him as long as they possibly could. With both sides apparently desperate to fight, the trio and the fans could Finally get what they are asking for. The Heavyweight division could also finally get the excitement and fireworks it’s been crying out for since the retirements of fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazer or your Lennox Lewis’s and Mike Tyson’s. The question is when it’s all said and done, who will be the last man standing and the number one heavyweight in the world?

Bob Arum said today that IBF #2-ranked Samuel ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Peter is available and ready to take on world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Klitschko has not defended his IBF world title against a mandatory challenger since April, 2007. Alexander Povetkin is ranked IBF #1 and is next in line.

“If Povetkin doesn’t take the fight, Klitschko is obligated to defend against Samuel Peter,” Arum said. “We plan to pursue that on behalf of Samuel.”

Peter has a ring record of 34-3 with 27 knockouts.

March 19, 2010 (Düsseldorf, Germany) – – IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko weighed in at 244 pounds (111 kg) for Saturday’s title defense against mandatory challenger Eddie Chambers on Saturday night at the 51,000-seat Espirit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Chambers scaled in at 209 pounds (95kg).

Dusseldorf, Germany (March 18, 2010) – American heavyweight “Fast Eddie” Chambers – rated #1 in the WBO – took time after his training in Dusseldorf, Germany for an interview two days before his scheduled World Championship bout against WBO/IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Said Chambers, “It’s coming down to the wire and I am steadfast on my mission to beat Wladimir Klitschko and bring those titles back home to the United States. It’s go time and I’m as ready as I will ever be.”

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Dusseldorf, Germany (March 14, 2010) – American heavyweight “Fast Eddie” Chambers – rated #1 in the WBO – arrives in Dusseldorf, Germany with his team a week before his scheduled World Championship bout against WBO/IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko.

“I am on a mission to beat Wladimir Klitschko and bring those titles back home to the United States. This is serious business and I am going for it, but I also know that I want to take in this experience and enjoy the ride. I am not going to make any fancy predictions. I’m just going to win.”

Challenges WBO/IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany on Saturday, March 20th

Six Questions With the #1-rated WBO Heavyweight Contender.

Los Angeles, CA (March 11, 2010) – Top American heavyweight “Fast Eddie” Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) is set to take on Ukrainian giant and WBO/IBF World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) on Saturday night, March 20th, at the 51,000 seat ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany.

This will be the first world title opportunity for Chambers and his third time fighting on German soil. He sustained his only loss as a pro by decision in Berlin to Alexander Povetkin in his first visit back in January, 2008, and stopped another mammoth-sized Ukrainian – undefeated 6-7 Alexander Dimitrenko – in his most recent outing in Hamburg last July 4th.

Goossentutor.com now takes you “Inside the Mind” of Chambers leading into the final days prior to the biggest fight of his career with “Six Questions” for the American hopeful:

GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: How are you feeling both physically and mentally going into the biggest fight of your career against Wladimir Klitschko?

CHAMBERS: “I feel great, both physically and mentally! I’m in the best shape of my career. We’ve done a lot of things in camp to prepare both physically and mentally. We’ve been away from the everyday situations of being at home that we have been able to focus on the task at hand. We came up here to the Poconos to get that focus, work hard and do whatever is necessary to win this title fight.”

GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: Your Goossen Tutor stablemates – Tony Thompson and Chris Arreola – both lost to a Klitschko brother in world title fights. Were you able to take anything away from watching their fights and why do you feel that you can do what they could not – which is to win?

CHAMBERS: “I have a different set of skills than both of them, although I did see there were certain things that they did in their fights. One thing in particular was that they didn’t get their jabs in enough. Although Tony pressured Wladimir a great deal, even on one leg, he was able to make it very difficult at times for Wladimir to dominate the fight. And Chris also was using his jab and at times effectively. But he stood in front of Vitali too much. They really didn’t take advantage of their opportunities. With me, on the other hand, I use different angles, different movement and work my jab and stay behind my jab and will not allow Vladimir to keep his distance all day and pound away.”

GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: Do you feel more at ease going to Germany fighting for a third time?

CHAMBERS: “I am more used to it. My first time let me know that you can’t be short-training, just thinking all day about the fight and not enjoying the experience and have fun with it. This is supposed to be a life experience and you’re supposed to enjoy it. And if you just sit tight in your room and not enjoy the people and the experience of what you’re trying to be – a star in boxing – then it really isn’t going to work out for you. With the fight with Dimitrenko and now this fight, I’m just going to enjoy myself and experience going over there.”

GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: Like Wladimir Klitschko, your last opponent – Alexander Dimitrenko – entered the ring with a 6-inch height and reach advantage. You were very effective in out-boxing him. Can you fight Wladimir the same way or does his style cause you to make adjustments?

CHAMBERS: “I think you can in certain ways fight Wladimir the same way because they both fight from a distance. But you can’t just stand in front of Wladimir because with his long reach he’ll keep you at bay. I have to jab and move and do different things before I just come in and try and engage in the offense.”

GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: “Whom have you been sparring with to prepare for Klitschko?

CHAMBERS: “I had one guy who’s very tall and a good boxer and mover in Marcellus Brown. I also had Sean McClain, who is a guy who was busy and threw a lot of punches and we normally put him in around the middle to late rounds. And then we had Malik Scott come in. He’s a fast, tall boxer who would move and give me different angles and different looks and made me work to get in the last shot.”

GOOSSENTUTOR.COM: What can boxing fans expect from “Fast Eddie” Chambers on Saturday night, March 20th?

CHAMBERS: “A lot of speed; a lot of ability and movement and an overall work rate that it takes to be the heavyweight champion of the world on the night of March 20th.”

www.goossentutor.com

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra