Heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51) once again showed why he is the boss of the division as he soundly defeated Russian challenger Alexander Povetkin (26-1, 18). Taking the Russian's unbeaten record in the process.
The fight started well for Povetkin who appeared to be showing the confidence of an unbeaten man looking to land big shots from the off on the jaw of the supposedly vulnerable Klitschko. The tactic seemed to work well with a claim that Povetkin could have taken the round on aggression even if it wasn't the most effective.
Unfortunately for Povetkin the good work of the opening round was undone quickly in the second as he was dropped for the first time in the fight. The knockdown, which seemed to be a delayed reaction to a sharp left hook from Klitschko was a flash one but still showed Klitschko's ability to hurt Povetkin.
Following the second round Klitschko began to really grow in to the fight and controlled the fight at range whilst holding, and leaning on Povetkin time and time again in the following round. Klitschko had, like he has through out his career, shut down Povetkin after just a few rounds. Povetkin still looked confident but was slowly being beaten mentally and physically. He was being out boxed and worn out by Klitschko's tactics.
By round 6 it appeared as if we were heading to a very simple and very boring looking unanimous decision. The holding had become the main part of the fight and Povetkin had been totally neutralised in a way that was far from friendly for the fans. Thankfully round 7 saw a serious change in Klitschko's mindset with the Ukrainian sending the Russian to the canvas 3 times. Unfortunately, perhaps, the knockdowns weren't the cleanest though referee Luis Pabon seemed happy to give Klitschko the benefit of the doubt on all 3 in what was therefore a 10-6 round.
After knockdowns in round 7 it appeared almost certain that Klitschko was going to to stop Povetkin, instead however he took his foot off the gas in rounds 8 and 9, rounds that again saw Povetkin have some success between the holding and stop-start action.
Thankfully Klitschko did move up a gear at the start of round 10 banging off some lovely free flowing jabs to keep Povetkin on the outside. This was stepped up again in round 11 as Povetkin was rocked hard and seemed set to go. Unfortunately rather than actually scoring a knockdown with punches Klitschko again pushed Povetkin down and was this time deducted a point in what was an somewhat meaningless deduction.
With a DQ perhaps in Klitschko's mind he did little of note in round 12, a round that Povetkin may have claimed with nicer judges due to Klitschko's total lack of aggression. Despite the negativity of Klitschko through the round none of the judges saw it fit to give it to Povetkin however as the final scores all read 119-104. Effectively the only point Klischko failed to take was the one he was deducted.
Showing posts with label Wladimir Klitschko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wladimir Klitschko. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Wladimir Klitschko v Francesco Pianeta
Heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko (60-3, 52) again showed the world why he is widely regarded as the best Heavyweight on the planet as he stopped the previously unbeaten Italian Francesco Pianeta (28-1-1, 15).
The bout, as is typical for a Klitschko bout, started very slowly with very little activity in the opening round with Klitschko's jab being the most notable weapon, despite the fact the champion landed several straight rights.
Round 2 was the only round where Pianeta had any success at all as he appeared to tag Klitschko with a left hand though that was easily forgotten thanks to the number of jabs that Klitschko landed throughout the round.
The jab of Klitschko continued to be the key punch as he repeatedly landed it through the thir round before sending Pianeta to the canvas in round 4 with a solid looking right hand. Whilst Pianeta managed to get up from the knock down he appeared to have had his confidence shook and he really didn't throw much afterwards.
Pianeta was decked again in round 5 from a left hand and although he once again got up it appeared that the writing was on the wall. The challenger was visibly melting and in round 6 after Klitschko started a little quicker it really was a matter of time. After a more aggressive start to the round Klitschko dropped Pianeta for the 3rd time and this time the referee waved the bout off.
With the WBA "Super", WBO, IBF and Ring magazine titles still around his waist there really is little case to be made against Wladimir Klitschko being the #1 in the division. It now appears that he will look to further prove that point when he takes on WBA "regular" champion Alexander Povetkin later this year.
The bout, as is typical for a Klitschko bout, started very slowly with very little activity in the opening round with Klitschko's jab being the most notable weapon, despite the fact the champion landed several straight rights.
Round 2 was the only round where Pianeta had any success at all as he appeared to tag Klitschko with a left hand though that was easily forgotten thanks to the number of jabs that Klitschko landed throughout the round.
The jab of Klitschko continued to be the key punch as he repeatedly landed it through the thir round before sending Pianeta to the canvas in round 4 with a solid looking right hand. Whilst Pianeta managed to get up from the knock down he appeared to have had his confidence shook and he really didn't throw much afterwards.
Pianeta was decked again in round 5 from a left hand and although he once again got up it appeared that the writing was on the wall. The challenger was visibly melting and in round 6 after Klitschko started a little quicker it really was a matter of time. After a more aggressive start to the round Klitschko dropped Pianeta for the 3rd time and this time the referee waved the bout off.
With the WBA "Super", WBO, IBF and Ring magazine titles still around his waist there really is little case to be made against Wladimir Klitschko being the #1 in the division. It now appears that he will look to further prove that point when he takes on WBA "regular" champion Alexander Povetkin later this year.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Wladimir Klitschko v Mariusz Wach
Ukrainian Heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 51) successfully defended his WBA "super", WBO, IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine Heavyweight titles as he thoroughly dominated the brave Polish challenger Mariusz Wach (27-1, 15) over 12 rounds.
The bout was one way traffic almost from the off as Klitschko used his exceptional jab and straight to bang against Wach's head not only keeping Wach at range but also keeping Wach behind his his guard. From the opening round Klitschko was immediately finding his range and timing and he really looked like a confident fighter dropping his hands and trying to goad Wach into opening up.
Although much of the bout was 1-sided, we did have some excitement in round 5 as Wach landed a really notable right hand that seemed to wobble the champion. The Pole tried to capitalise on wobbling Klitschko and unleashed a series of shots as he tried to finish off the champion, sadly however the bell stopped the challengers momentum.
After landing his hard right hand in round 5, Wach seemed to look for the punch through out the rest of the fight, though Klitschko's ability to control the range and pace of the fight really neutralised the perceived threat of Wach's power. In fact as the fight went on Klitschko became more and more confident and started to unleash 6 and 7 punch combinations, especially in round 8, the bouts most 1-sided round (and likely a 10-8 round).
Although Wach took a real pasting, especially in rounds 7, 8 and 11 he managed to show real toughness and refused to go down, shocking myself with his ability to absorb numerous thudding right hands from the champion. Sadly however toughness alone doesn't win you rounds and Wach struggle to make a case for any of the rounds as he was out landed, out classed, out boxed and out fought by a fighter who was simply too good for him.
On this showing Wladimir is certainly a fighter who isn't showing signs of aging. Whilst he may not have been able to stop or even drop Wach, that was more a testament to Wach's chin than anything else as he took a real beating. Another defense early next year is almost a given and I'd be surprised if Klitschko could ever have an easier looking 12-round defense.
For Wach, who was nicely given a round by Canadian judge Pasquale Procopio, this shows his level and he's certainly not world level. He's tough and will be a handful for most, though his limitations were obvious through out and despite being the bigger, longer man, he couldn't make his size count. He'll certainly be able to mix it in the fringes of world level though he'll never be a genuine world level fighter.
The bout was one way traffic almost from the off as Klitschko used his exceptional jab and straight to bang against Wach's head not only keeping Wach at range but also keeping Wach behind his his guard. From the opening round Klitschko was immediately finding his range and timing and he really looked like a confident fighter dropping his hands and trying to goad Wach into opening up.
Although much of the bout was 1-sided, we did have some excitement in round 5 as Wach landed a really notable right hand that seemed to wobble the champion. The Pole tried to capitalise on wobbling Klitschko and unleashed a series of shots as he tried to finish off the champion, sadly however the bell stopped the challengers momentum.
After landing his hard right hand in round 5, Wach seemed to look for the punch through out the rest of the fight, though Klitschko's ability to control the range and pace of the fight really neutralised the perceived threat of Wach's power. In fact as the fight went on Klitschko became more and more confident and started to unleash 6 and 7 punch combinations, especially in round 8, the bouts most 1-sided round (and likely a 10-8 round).
Although Wach took a real pasting, especially in rounds 7, 8 and 11 he managed to show real toughness and refused to go down, shocking myself with his ability to absorb numerous thudding right hands from the champion. Sadly however toughness alone doesn't win you rounds and Wach struggle to make a case for any of the rounds as he was out landed, out classed, out boxed and out fought by a fighter who was simply too good for him.
On this showing Wladimir is certainly a fighter who isn't showing signs of aging. Whilst he may not have been able to stop or even drop Wach, that was more a testament to Wach's chin than anything else as he took a real beating. Another defense early next year is almost a given and I'd be surprised if Klitschko could ever have an easier looking 12-round defense.
For Wach, who was nicely given a round by Canadian judge Pasquale Procopio, this shows his level and he's certainly not world level. He's tough and will be a handful for most, though his limitations were obvious through out and despite being the bigger, longer man, he couldn't make his size count. He'll certainly be able to mix it in the fringes of world level though he'll never be a genuine world level fighter.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Wladimir Klitschko v Tony Thompson II
Wladmir Klitschko may well be regarded as the best Heavyweight on the planet but on this performance he did little to distill the idea of of him being one of the most boring Heavyweight champions in the history of the sport. Klitschko started the bout slowly, wary of Thompson's size and this lead to a very dull opening round. Klitschko came out for the second round looking more offensive but still didn't really do much offensively other than land one or two solid right hands. It was the right hands landed in round 2 that effectively killed any excitement the bout could have had as it scared the challenger back into his shell.
Thompson's defensive shell and mindset saw him getting through rounds 3 and 4 with out too much trouble but he was then dropped in round 5. This knockdown effectively ended the resistance of Thompson who was stopped the previous round after being dropped and on unsteady legs at the end of the bout.
These two men fought previously in 2008 with Klitschko needing 11 rounds to eventually put away Thompson who appears to have aged significantly since that bout. Whilst Klitschko didn't look his sharpest against Thompson this time around he did look significantly better than the American who simply couldn't live with the Ukrainian when he stepped on the gas.
This was the 16th straight victory for Klitschko and his 12th successive IBF and IBO title defense, he also defended his WBO, WBA Super and Ring Magazine Heavyweight titles.
Note-This card also saw the 8th professional bout of promising American Light Middleweight Tony Harrison (8-0, 8)
Thompson's defensive shell and mindset saw him getting through rounds 3 and 4 with out too much trouble but he was then dropped in round 5. This knockdown effectively ended the resistance of Thompson who was stopped the previous round after being dropped and on unsteady legs at the end of the bout.
These two men fought previously in 2008 with Klitschko needing 11 rounds to eventually put away Thompson who appears to have aged significantly since that bout. Whilst Klitschko didn't look his sharpest against Thompson this time around he did look significantly better than the American who simply couldn't live with the Ukrainian when he stepped on the gas.
This was the 16th straight victory for Klitschko and his 12th successive IBF and IBO title defense, he also defended his WBO, WBA Super and Ring Magazine Heavyweight titles.
Note-This card also saw the 8th professional bout of promising American Light Middleweight Tony Harrison (8-0, 8)
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