Vitali Klitschko could be facing Valuev next

By Erik Schmidt: According to news from the Bild Zeitung, World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KO’s) could be facing former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (50-2, 34 KO’s) next in either April or May 2010. This is a bout that the 38-year-old Klitschko likely wants due to the interest that this fight will generate in Europe, where Valuev is more highly thought of compared to the U.S. Klitschko doesn’t have many other appealing fights to look forward to at this time.

WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is tied up with a title defense in early 2010 against John Ruiz, and it’s unclear whether Haye will be facing Valuev in his bout following that one in 2010. Klitschko has few interesting opponents in the top 10 for him to fight at this time. Oleg Maskaev, the number #2 WBC contender, was stopped in the past round this past week, and Alexander Povetkin, the number #3 contender, will be facing Vitali’s brother, IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko sometime in 2010.

Vitali has already badly beaten number #4 contender Chris Arreola. Odlanier Solis, the number #7 ranked heavyweight, would like nothing better than to fight Klitschko next. However, Solis (15-0, 11 KO’s), a former 2004 Olympic heavyweight Gold Medalist for Cuba, has fought exclusively C level fighters since turning pro in 2007, and isn’t well know to boxing fans. And to make matters worse, Solis is only 6’1″ and has ballooned up since turning pro two years ago. In his last fight, a 2nd round TKO of Monte Barrett in October, Solis weighed 271.

At that weight, it would likely be a replay of Klitschko’s 8th round TKO over Danny Williams in December 2004. In that fight, Williams came in weighing a heavy 270, and ended up getting battered by Klitschko. However, Williams is taller than Solis by two inches at 6’3″.

Valuev, 36, lost a 12 round majority decision to Haye on November 7th. It was a boring fight with few punches exchanged between the two fighters. It wasn’t Valuev’s fault, however. Haye elected to use the strategy that 46-year-old Evander Holyfield used in his fight with Valuev in December 2008, by moving constantly and landing a hard punch every now and then.

The strategy worked, as Haye landed an average of 10 punches per round. Valuev landed just as many, but his were mostly jabs. It came to no surprise that Valuev was beaten, because big Nikolay had been struggling since winning the vacant WBA heavyweight title in August 2008 when he defeated John Ruiz by a 12 round split decision. Valuev, never a fast puncher, looked like he’d slowed down even more in the past year and was ripe to be beaten.

Valuev has never been knocked out during his 16-year pro career, but there’s a very real chance that he will be if he winds up facing Klitschko. Valuev won’t have the movement, the jab or the youth to survive the way that American Kevin Johnson did this past weekend against Vitali. Valuev tends to go after his opponents. This will make it all the easier for Klitschko to land his hard hooks and right hands. You can expect this fight to last no more than six rounds, if that.

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