Boxing News Boxing News
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
All eyes in the boxing world will be on Veltins Arena tonight in Gelsenkirchen, Germany as WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko puts his belts and top standing in the division on the line against WBA champion in recess Ruslan Chagaev.
Klitschko, 52-3 (46), comes into the bout after having trained for ex-cruiserweight world champion David Haye and now must adjust for a completely different opponent in the form of Chagaev.
Where Haye is a big punching, fast-handed right hander who likes to go after opponents with all guns blazing, Chagaev, 25-0-1 (17), is a crafty, patient southpaw with less power than Haye but better pure boxing skill.
Klitschko will tower over Chagaev and it will be up to the challenger to slip past the champion’s long and punishing jab in order to make big Wlad fight in close quarters.
But whether or not Chagaev can do that successfully is the key to this bout.
Klitschko’s losses to Ross Purrity and Lamon Brewster happened when they soaked up the big shots of Dr. Steelhammer and went after the exhausted giant while Corrie Sanders simply walked right in and hammered Wladimir to the canvas in two brutal rounds.
Like Sanders, Chagaev is a southpaw but doesn’t have the crippling one punch power of the South African nor the quick hands so his best bet will be to try and make Klitschko work in retreat until a contest can be fought on the inside.
If Chagaev truly has a world class chin, he has a shot but if not, this could be another destructive KO victory for Klitschko.
