Wladimir Klitschko – Why do People Pay to Watch this Guy?
June 21st, 2009
By Axel Bowen-Dale: I find it extremely hard to respect Wladimir Klitschko, and I know I’m not the only one. There is no questioning his ability as a boxer, the man is a brilliant fighter. But how many punchbags does this guy have to knockout before people realize this guy is getting payed millions to barely break a sweat. The guys he’s fighting are nothing more than overweight punchbags.
Does Wladimir do this? No, Wladimir fights mandatory bums and has-beens over and over again. It’s such a shame the way this boxer picks his fights; based on nothing but rankings and how much money he can make. Does he actually think he’ll get credit for beating somebody because on their ranking alone?
People have to actually know the name of the person he’s fighting before he gets anything. I mean what’s it going to be next time? Another one of these fat soviet chumps? Another ‘Chaev, ‘Ovetkin, ‘Bragimov, ‘Enko or ‘Ovich? Who are these guys. They all look the same, they all fight the same. Punchbag style. How long does it have to take before you people realize this guy is robbing every fan who pays to watch this man fight? Does any actually think another European style will be Wlad’s undoing?
Making it worse, the one fight everyone wanted to see (I am of course talking about the David Haye fight) he took the convenient opportunity to duck. You’re telling me he couldn’t wait one extra month for Haye’s back injury to heal to give every single boxing fan the night of boxing each and everyone of us have been so exited about? In the mega-fights boxers always wait on opponents injuries to heal. It’s because they have a loyalty to the fans and are committed to give them a show.
Roy Jones Jr. Vs Calzaghe? Roy waited two full months for Joes hand to heal. No excuses!
This could be for better or for worse. Either Haye will lose a fight and never get a shot at Wlad’, (leaving Wladimir to continue on with his excuse for hall of fame a career) or he’ll blast out his next opponent and force a fight with Wlad. Making it bigger than ever, and possibly in America.
I feel nothing but anger for Wladimir Klitschko after watching him paw at Chagaev’s face for 9 rounds. There are fights out there that have been screaming to be taken for years. I’m not the only one who would love to see the spectacle a showdown with “the beast from the east” Nikolai Valuev would be, or the exiting prospect of a fight with Chris Arreola. I for one have given up in expecting either of these fights as I am settled on Wladimir Klitschko being a play-it-safe money grabber.
This guy can have any fight he wants. It’s laughable for anyone to think any boxer would not want to fight the #1 in his division.
David Haye vs. Wladimir Klitschko, a fight that has to happen. We the fans have to demand this fight.
Thanks for reading.
Tags: 34 Responses to “Wladimir Klitschko – Why do People Pay to Watch this Guy?”
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“It will never happen anyway so stop dreaming of seeing your robots faceoff.”
LOL, i could see will smith doing “the mummy walk” in the Alí movie.
“here comes klitscho grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”
Wlad cant get the respect he deserves, His record
and knock percentage should be enough.. But you have those people who want a rocky style fight.
I am very pleased with wlad. Keep fighting the way you want to and i will keep on watching.
Vitali vs Wlad would be a competition to see whos got the fastest jab, followed by a straight right, and maybe only onw or two a round each! AT MOST!
No hooks no uppercuts, not much movement aside from backwards when they think there gonna get hit.
It will never happen anyway so stop dreaming of seeing your robots faceoff.
I’m a big Haye fan, but Wlad gets too much criticism IMO. So what if he’s not the most exciting heavyweight to watch – neither was Lennox at times. But what he does, he does very well.
The problem is his opposition. Wlad needs someone who can come out and make him fight. David Haye is that man.
You don’t need to watch. He’s the World Heavyweight Champion. He’s doing fine without you.
Thank you Payno!
I will repeat what I said;
If you call his opponents soviet bums, what are the American heavyweights then? They are getting knocked out left, right and center by the bums and there is no sign in the forseable future that this is going to change.
A pointless post that brings no value to the true champion that Wladimir is, and right now that is the best in the world, or second best in my opinion, after Vitali.
Brilliant article, at last someone from this website with some sense and knowledge.
I agree with everything you say other than the fact that you say no european “style” would beat him, its american fat slow punchbags aswel who he fights remember RAHMAN,THOMPSON to name a few.
I dont think arreola will do anything to change this as he is slow and fat aswell mate.
Great article well done.
can we have more from Ricardo please… this man talks sense.
Axel – Fair enough but Wlad doesnt cherry pick his opponents like you suggest nor does he avoid fighters. How can he when he had a fight with Haye who could not guarantee a return date after his injury – he asked for Valuev who said no. Arreola and his team said no. Fans would watch those fights.
What a joke
adamfillingham – THERE ARE NO GOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS!!
because there no americans. we knocked em all out.
soviets rule the heavyweight.
nr.1 bumasses.
Klitschko is an excellent heavyweight champ. Is he great? Well, I don’t think that he would survive with the likes of a Tyson, Holyfield, or Foreman. Although, the Klitschko Bros are the best in a division full of overweight bums. People pay to watch this guy in Europe, because boxing in Europe remains a major sport and they continue to have loyalty and love for the sport.
People have really got the wrong impression of what I was trying to acheive with the article. I have sent a revised version to the editor. (Nothing is taken away. I stick by my views)
Haye backed out of the fight and Wladimir refused to wait for his injury to heal. In boxing fighters will often allow fighters who cannot participate due to injury time to recover so a fight can continue.
When a fight as big as Haye – Klitschko is called off due to a fighter’s unwillingness to wait an extra month it is extremely disappointing to the fans. Calzaghe hurt his hand in build up to the Roy Jones fight and Roy waited two months.
There’s no exuses. Wlad ducked Haye.
but wlad pick the best ones out there you bums. chagaev nr. 3 on everey ranking. haye pulled out. valuev was scared. povetkin injured himself. wtf. he picks the best that are out there. hes the 1. klitschkos are living legends.
“Wladimir fights mandatory bums and has-beens over and over again. It’s such a shame the way this boxer picks his fights; based on nothing but rankings and how much money he can make. I mean what’s it going to be next time? Another fat soviet bum?”
As opposed to what? A fat American bum?
Get a grip Axel.
Chagaev was undefeated in 25 fights, he is probably one of the top 5 Heavyweights out there behind the brothers. Is it his fault that ex-soviet Eastern European fighters are the best opponents out there?
Haye pulled out with a back injury, yes it may have proved to be the more fan pleasing fight, but why wait? He had 60’000 people packed into the stadium, he had the whole Eastern European boxing community expecting a fight, he had hundreds of thousands of eager German based fans expecting a fight, and if he held off 3 weeks and Haye wasnt ready? What if there was a further 3-4 week delay afterwards? Should he just hand back 60’000 in ticket sales? How does he recompensate the thousands who travelled and booked hotels etc?
You very obviously have no idea the planning that goes into such an event.
Valuev refused this fight and as much as he says he wants the fight, he always ducks it at the final word.
Arreola is a fat American, but i guess thats ok isnt it?
The heavyweight division is weak. Wlad is not my cup of tea so I did not atch the fight. I had no interest but to be fair, he does a decent job. He beats whoever is placed in front of him. We as fans do not seem to understand the politics of the governing bodies. Certain fighters from certain countries always get top rankings in certain bodies.
Then there are the promoters. Unless a fighter sells his soul e.g. future rights, or immediate return clause, he will not get to fight a champ. Each promoter wants to control his champ and is reluctant to have a unified match; the governing bodies do the same.
Then we get the greedy boxers who want a bigger payday than usual, especially when they are not the real draw. Or the champ not wanting to face a dangerous opponent cuz he knows he will lose.
The combined result of these politricks is that we seldom get to see truly great match ups. The problem is that we never know which of these is the reason for a fight not happening.
In the ever important sweepstakes that is the public opinion, each side claims victory. We hear A is ducking B, or that as sparring partners that X busted up Y. The other side counters it was the exact opposite. Each promoter says he offered the other X dollars for a fight and the other denies it. And the beat goes on and on.
Frankly, I am sick of it. My sons 25 & 29, and their friends hardly watch boxing for these reasons. They prefer MMA because they feel the top guys are mandated to fight. (Not really true because rival leagues do not allow contracted fighters to cross over). However, fighters tend to end contracts and cross overe if the $ is right. But it is obvious nothing is perfect.
Back to Wlad. His fights are a bit boring because here is a man with the size and the talent to walk through opponents but he lacks confidence in his chin. I can’t blame him for wanting to protect his chin BUT he can’t blame the average fan for not getting excited watching him.
To attack him and other fighters from Europe is so childish, I have lost respect for the writer. I always say, attack the article, not the writer. If the writer is clueless, ignore him and his article. My late grannie used to say one hand can’t clap by itself, likewise it takes two fools to argue.
I get really upset when Americans feel every fighter in the world is a bum unless he fights in the US. Montreal packs them in and so do lots of places in Europe. Why should a fighter have to go to the US if he is alreay making big $ other places? Why can’t US fighters go elsewhere and fight? The attendance for most fights in the US is pathetic unless it is a mega fight.
They also talk about not getting a decision in a foreign country. The same goes for fighters who fight in the US or who fight a big name there. I love Holyfield but Lewis easily beat him but only got a draw in fight #1. B-Hop clutched, grabbed and did everything but fight, yet one judge voted for him vs Calzaghe. The list goes on and on.
As a true fan of boxing, I make it my business to see as many fights as I can. There are fighters in the US we have never seen because it seems the networks no longer build up fighters like before. That is why MMA is so popular now. They are often ways on Spike or smaller networks and when the fighter gets big, he appears on their big shows.
As long as Wlad or fighter form another country are getting paid well & attracting fans to their fights, they should stay at home or invite other fighters to come fight them.
The US has the best trainers and facilities for sports, especilly boxing. But they are no longer the mecca for boxers and definitely, NOT heavies. I will close by saying that when it comes to a big showdown, e.g. Manny vs Hatton, these are the fights that MUST be in the US for maximum $ and exposure. But for Wlad to fight in the US, he has to fight an American who has talent and right now there are none. With his boring style, it will translate well only in Germany or the Ukraine. I will watch him but NOT get excited. Sorry…I am just giving my honest opinion.
What do you want him to do if this is the best his division can offer. He’s only as good as the opponents he fights. He’s beating them, whether you like it or not, boring or not, he’s beating them very convincingly so there is nothing else he can do.
If you call his opponents soviet bums, what are the American heavyweights then? They are getting knocked out left, right and center by the bums and there is no sign in the forseable future that this is going to change.
A pointless post that brings no value to the true champion that Wladimir is, and right now that is the best in the world, or second best in my opinion, after Vitali.
Last night I settled down, child in bed through the gift of Disney and Butterkist, ready to watch what I thought would be the fight, after the cancellation (and lets all call it here, Hayes back was as tight as Setantas current account) to inspire interest, rekindle the dormant pure that once was the Heavyweight division…
…and within I found an organic, holistic cure for Imsomnia. A turgid fight, with one combatant throwing less snap than when he does paswork, and a man so clearly unwilling to break the status quo I would have preferred a doll from a Bucks party to get the other guy doin something hard.
Okay, okay, maybe here I’m exaggerating somewhat, but my disappointment is huge. At at least a dozen occasions I’m sure I heard the dulcet yet resonant tones of michael Buffer giggling, “The White Tyson?? Shouldn’t it be Tights-on??”. Chagaev never brought his E-game, and Wlad blew a huge opportunity to lay down a marker of dominance by teeing off before the end of the Third and add a multiplying factor of two to the Haye negotiations. But no. Chagaev, save two moments of rare forward movement (or was he merely dozing and tippled ?) came with ring apnia, and Wlad just took the patacake approach AGAIN, akin to keeping a sloth at bay with a stick.
No argument to the point that Wlad, or Vitali for that point, actually NEEDS to do anything but retain the titles, and I’m sure something about the methodical efficiency with which they execute their objectives gives them huge appeal to the stereotypical teutonic attitudes, but by continuously working in the ring on a ‘time and motion’ basis, they are also helping erode the boxing fraternity, and alienating new alumni.
The Heavyweight championship(s) of the World should be the pinnacle of our beloved sport, the Blue Riband event, surely the history and value held in the title should inspire a sense of responsibility to its incumbent, something i feel will be raised to the ground all too quickly should Drs. Mogadon-Fist and Temazepam-Hammer continuetheir “win-at-all-cost” style. Without the prospect of the unification fight, lets just hope Haye, Arreola or some god-given gift from nowhere (McCall jr. anyone?) and saves this belt, before its just too late
The author wants an explanation to why, people want to see Wladimir.
It’s easy, he is in full control, it’s like a very beautiful ballet, and it usually ends with a knockout.
I used to be a fan of Ali, and i watched every fight he had, the same with Tyson.
People tend to forget how extremely boring, a lot of their fights actually were.
And Lennox Lewis for that matter, you could go on.
I think we should be grateful for the brothers, and regret that no one else seems to be on that level.
David Tua would ko Chagaev and all the other contenders. If Tua landed one of his left hooks he wud ko Wlad aswell. But no-one wants to fight him cos they scared
go on then axle name five heavyweights since lewis retired who would’ve been better opponents for wlad. bet you can’t
I agree with ukansodoff i was not entertained at all by the fight chagaev literally didn’t land a punch did he? Such a shame it wasn’t David in there last night although the result may or may not have been the same it was the fight everyone wanted to see and at least David would have thrown a half decent punch now and again!
People expecting “Rocky” like fights? Get real or continue watching movies.
Overall, this was a great fight by Wlad. Chagaev did try, could maybe do more, but he has wrong style from the start. Bring on Dimitrenko.
Let’s be happy about German boxing scene. It usually provides decent quality fights entirely free for millions on TV.
I actually didn’t say anything about Wlads style. I just critisized his awful choice in career opponents.
Vero393 Says:
June 21st, 2009 at 5:14 am
Haye backed out because of his TV rights
Loser
Whilst I totally agree that Haye wasnt injured at all, I actually posted a thread saying that on this site well before that rumour hit the press.
But you can’t blame the guy, he knows Wlad would Ko him, he was getting a £3m payday and was gonna retire happily in Cyprus on it. You can’t expect the guy to take the fight with no money guarantee, no one would , its non-sensicle to do that.
Obvious that Axel has a problem with the boxing Klitschkos, if Axel’s veiws reflect his true personal opinion is a question that may be asked or is he simply striving to find favor by the “powers that be” in boxing many of which also seem to regard the Klitschko brothers as not worthy to hold the world heavyweight titles despite the fact the belts have been earned fair and square with the sweat and blood of many a hard fought ring encounter versus the topmost global contenders. The Klitschkos will not go away for some time yet, so sit back and enjoy them while you’ve got them… you will miss them when their time is over.
Are you a posh twat, or is your name a homage to Axel Rose, Jim Bowen and Dale Winton?
Sro, thank you for your well thoughtout comment.
Unfortunately you are chatting out of your arsehole at this point in time. Wladimir can have any fight he wants. He’s the biggest draw in the heavyweight division.
All these top guys can have any fight they want. It’s just a matter of giving them a little more coin than usual.
Thanks for participating
Haye backed out because of his TV rights
Loser
Completely disagree with this article. Haye drops out and your angry with Wlad?
People need to get over his style and stop complaining about it. Its getting boring hearing everyone complain. Wlad dominates most people he fights – with his own style – regardless of what it is.
Wlad wanted Arreola for Hayes replacement – Arreolas trainer said no way due to his fighter not being in shape on time. They went for Valuev and have (both) called him out but he is well protected by Don King and the WBA – none of this is Wlads fault at all – its crazy to blame WLad for this. Your article also seems like a thinly disguised attack on Euro HWs and thats a shame.
I can understand being angry at Wlads style – but the rest of the stuff? do some homework first…
It doesn’t matter how good or bad Haye is.
It’s the fight everyone wanted to see. It’s the fight that would’ve braught exitement back into the heavyweight division.
Hey buddy. It was Haye who backed out. First Haye said the fight would be delayed by 3 weeks, then 5 weeks. Why should Wladimir had to have waited for Haye? Wladimir did the right thing. He fought an unbeaten Chagaev and took his Ring Magazine title.
Why did Haye back out? Has his injury been proven? Haye is a hype job and nothing else. He should back up what he says by fighting instead of trash talking. Haye had been doing all of this trash talking and then he backs out!!!!!
id pay millons to watch klitschko he is by far one of the best heavyweights around by a mile and haye the fight everyone wants to see is vitali klitschko v wladimir klitschko that would be a great fight!!