When long reigning IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world
champion Wladimir Klitschko entered the ring to make the sixteenth defense of
his world title against WBO number one contender Alex Leapai on April 26th in
Germany there was not a feeling of suspense. Leapai, the relatively unknown
challenger had emerged on the scene after scoring a convincing ten round
unanimous decision upset win over previously undefeated number one contender
Denis Boytsov in November of last year.
There is no doubt as this fight approached however, that
most considered Leapai to be a considerable underdog against a fighter who in
addition to being a two-time Heavyweight world champion had also not lost a
fight in over a decade. In the lead up to this fight I stated that Leapai
needed to bring the fight to Klitschko from the outset and not allow him to
establish distance. I went on to say that there was no way that the 6’0 Leapai
could win this fight from the outside against the 6’6 Klitschko, who in
addition to his height also has an eighty-one inch reach.
When the two fighters entered the ring there would be no
element of surprise, but rather a great fighter at his best giving the Boxing
world and another demonstration as to why he has been so dominant since
regaining the Heavyweight title in 2006 in his second fight with Chris Byrd.
Leapai began the fight trying to establish head movement and looking to apply
pressure on Klitschko. Klitschko however, would score a knockdown of Leapai with
the jab midway through the first round.
Although Leapai did not appear hurt he was not able to
disrupt Klitschko’s rhythm in that Klitschko was able to establish his jab and
in doing so began looking to land his right hand. This has been the fundamental
style that has befuddled many an opponent for Klitschko in the last decade. It
may not be the most entertaining style to watch in the eyes of some, but you
simply cannot argue with success.
As has become the norm any time an opponent gets close to
Klitschko, Klitschko immediately ties that opponent up and does not allow an
opponent to get off with anything effective. Such was the case for Alex Leapai.
Any time Leapai got close, Klitschko quickly tied him up and then reestablished
the distance. Even though Leapai continued to try to get underneath Klitschko’s
jab he eventually became a stationary target for Klitschko’s offense and could
not establish hardly any offense of his own.
The one-sided encounter came to an end as the effects of
Klitschko’s jabs and right hands gradually broke Leapai down as the champion
scored two knockdowns in the fifth round to force a stoppage of the fight. In
all truth and honesty there is not much to say about this fight nor is there
much to analyze.
Sometimes it is a simple as one fighter doing what he has to
do. With the win Klitschko has now successfully defended his title sixteen
times leaving him four title defenses away from tying Larry Holmes who had twenty
successful title defenses during his title reign from 1978-1985. Currently,
Klitschko is nine defenses away from tying the all-time record of twenty-five
successful title defenses, which was set by Joe Louis from 1937-1949.
Although there will be some who will say that Leapai, who
was out landed 147 to 10 over the course of the fight simply did not provide
any resistance for Klitschko and say that this title defense does not prove
anything, I respectfully disagree. At the end of the day this was another day
at the office for Wladimir Klitschko. In the bigger picture however, this fight
was one more step on Klitschko’s march towards Boxing history. Even though
there will be detractors who will say that there was a lack of depth in the
Heavyweight division during Klitschko’s era, I believe statistics do not lie
and when Wladimir’s career is said and done it will be hard for anyone to say
that he was not an all-time great. All a fighter can do is face who is put in
front of them.
Some may choose to debate as to the state of the Heavyweight
division and whether or not that has played any role in not only Wladimir’s
dominance, but of the Klitschko brothers as a whole. This observer believes
that it may not necessarily be a case of a weak division, but maybe the two men
who have dominated the last decade of Heavyweight Boxing Wladimir and older
brother Vitali are simply just that good.
As for what’s next for Wladimir, it is logical to assume
that he will face the IBF’s top contender the undefeated Kubrat Pulev later
this year in another mandated title defense. As for the rest of the division,
all the attention will now focus on the bout to determine a new WBC world
champion as top contenders Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola meet in a rematch
on May 10th. The winner that fight will probably be mandated to face undefeated
top contender Deontay Wilder who defeated Malik Scott in March in a fight that
was billed as an elimination bout.
No matter what happens with the WBC championship, the
biggest story in the Heavyweight division will continue to be Wladimir
Klitschko’s march towards Boxing history. As Klitschko’s reign atop the
division continues it is logical to assume that if he were successful in
defeating Pulev that Stiverne, Arreola, and Wilder would all be potential
future opponents no matter who might be WBC champion.
The question that this observer will continue to ponder is
can any of the above or anyone else in the division for that matter derail
Wladimir Klitschko’s march towards Boxing history? It will surely be
interesting as opponents continue to attempt to answer that question.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison
All Rights Reserved.
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