By Dan Ambrose: Although IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KO’s) is known for being a boring safety first type fighter, he does wind up getting a knock out win more often than not due to his powerful left hooks, right hands and jabs. Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KO’s), the latest challenger to Wladimir’s titles, hasn’t faced any top fighters with the power that Klitschko will have going for him in their fight on March 20th at the ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Chambers may be the best heavyweight that America has going for them at this time, but this is more of an indication of how poor the crop of heavyweights have become in the U.S. rather than a sign that they’re still mass producing talented fighters like they were doing in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
The talent level has dropped off dramatically in the past 10 years to the point where American heavyweights are lucky if they can get even ranked in the top 10. Chambers is one of the few that have made it to the number #1 spot as a contender.
On the 20th, Chambers will get the chance to prove whether he has the stuff to compete and perhaps beat Wladimir Klitschko or if he’s end up as another one of the U.S. victims of the Klitschko brothers. Chambers appears confident about his chances in this fight as the fight approaches, but in looking at him speak, it seems like false confidence because he seems unsure of himself.
Chambers has a tough task ahead of him, because Klitschko can really punch when he’s thinking offense. Klitschko can also really stink up a joint when he’s just trying to keep from getting hit. It’s perhaps for this reason so many boxing fans in the U.S. are really turned off towards him. However, Klitschko is one of those types of fighters that lull you to sleep with his slow and boring style of fighting.
He doesn’t do much other than jab for five or six rounds and throw moderately hard right hands. This has the effect of boring the audience stiff in many cases. But Klitschko eventually lets loose some big right hands and left hooks and ends up taking his opponents out at some point in the fight. With his fighting style, Klitschko reminds me a lot like Cuban Olympic Gold Medalist Teofilo Stevenson, who used to fight in a real patient manner in his Olympic competition and then suddenly, wham!
He’d drop a big right hand on his opponent and take them out. Klitschko does the same thing, although he seems to be a lot more cautious than Stevenson used to be. Chambers will have to be on guard at all times and watchful of Klitschko’s right hands and left hooks, because he’s going to get hit with a lot of them as the fight moves into the later rounds. Chambers may do well to get Klitschko missing with his shots, but he won’t miss all of them and it’s going to take a good chin for Chambers to keep from getting stopped.
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