The Verdict Is Still Out, On Paper Klitschko Looks Good
by
Buster Paris
4/26 - It was a fourth round knock out and he’s now 44 wins, 40 by KO with only 3 losses. On paper it looks great. On paper he looks
great, but the verdict unfortunately is still out on if Wladimir Klitschko is great.
This past Saturday night, Wladimir Klitschko fought and beat Eliseo Castillo - well, Klitschko fought and Castillo made a
nice target.
HBO’s Larry Merchant summed it up superbly when he said that Eliseo Castillo used his arms more when he was paddling away
from Cuba. Hell - I used my arms more changing channels and adjusting the volume.
Elisio’s plan was to take Wladimir into the later rounds. A smart strategy to use against a man whose stamina and endurance
are very questionable, but you still need to throw punches and make a fight of it which Castillo just didn’t do and Wladimir
had a strategy of his own that he carried off skillfully and well. His trainer, Emanuel Steward did a great job preparing
him, by sparring Wald, 10-12 rounds at a time as opposed to his usual regimen of about 4-6. A training switch that is really
simple, brilliant and effective.
Klitschko only threw his left hand for the first two rounds. He was tight, but extremely calm, patient and in total control.
I can’t remember seeing a fight where a fighter only threw one hand the entire first two rounds without the other hand being
broken or hurt. It’s definitely worth mentioning.
Finally with 48 seconds left in the 3rd round that right hand was put to work and what a job it did. It rocked Castillo and
livened up the Westfalenhallen Complex.
At 22 seconds remaining in the 4th round that right hand was once again employed and it proved how it is responsible for 40
KO’s.
On paper this looks great, but it wasn’t great. It was barely mediocre.
Wladimir deserved a really good fight. He deserved a chance to fully test-drive himself and to show the growth of his skills
and power to his detractors and nay sayers as well as to himself. He deserved the chance to shine like the inappropriate
light show before the bout, but it didn’t play out that way.
The big question on everybody’s mind – is he ready for the elite?
I liked the way Emanuel Steward put it when he said that Wladimir has pretty much always been ready for the elite. It just so
happened that he had 2 bad fights in such close proximity of each other, nothing more than that.
Hearing it from Emanuel it makes sense intellectually, but I’m still not convinced of his chin or his stamina.
If Wlad wants to dive right in to the elite’s then here’s the perfect list of fights for him to put it out there and shut
everybody up:
1. Chris Byrd (prove his stamina)
2. Mike Tyson (prove his chin, heart and have Tyson on his record)
3. James Toney (or John Ruiz – to fight for the belt)
Discuss this at our Boxing Forum
