By Julian Turner, Bangkok Post
There is no denying that the heavyweight division is in a mess yet some of the criticism being heaped on Wladimir Klitschko seems to be more of a nationalistic issue than a boxing one.
The giant Ukrainian - who is based in Germany - easily outboxed and then spectacularly knocked out America's best hope in Dusseldorf at the weekend to successfully defend his collection of belts.
Eddie Chambers had only been beaten once before in 36 fights (on points by Alexander Povetkin) yet ended Saturday night's fight face down sprawled over the bottom rope.
Wladimir again proved himself to be the best big man on the planet and increased his impressive ledger to 54-3 with 48 of those wins coming by knockout.
He isn't the most exciting boxer in the world but Saturday's fight drew 51,000 paying fans through the doors of the ESPRIT arena, which is the same number that watched Manny Pacquiao outclass an unwilling Joshua Clottey in Dallas the previous week.
Clearly there are plenty of people in Germany who appreciate his talents, yet American television networks didn't even show the fight despite Chambers' pedigree.
Apparently, television bosses in the USA have lost interest in Wladimir after a series of lacklustre displays.
It was good of TrueVisions to pick up this fight for viewers in Thailand, even though it meant staying up through the night to watch it as it happened.
I opted to watch it live, instead of waiting for the repeat the next day at 6pm in case the card went on too long and overlapped with Man United's clash with Liverpool on Sunday evening.
Admittedly, it wasn't the most thrilling contest (neither was Pacquiao v Clottey) but Klitschko dominated so easily that he has to be admired for the way he defused and controlled Chambers.
It was the sort of sterile and calculated display that German crowds adore but often switches off those in the USA.
The giant Ukrainian does everything by the textbook. He has a stiff and accurate jab, punches hard and uses the ring well.
My major gripe with Wladimir is that he has the capacity to end fights much earlier but often chooses to drag the action out instead of going for a grandstand finish.
Even Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward screamed: "We don't need another bullshit decision" just before the last round which finally stirred the Ukrainian into action and prompted that devastating finish.
Wladimir reminds me of intelligent pupils at school who are content to coast and get a C grade while they are capable of scoring an A with a bit more effort.
His size, reach and power advantages over most opponents also make him look languid when he isn't in top gear.
It's no fun watching a big man beat up a little man, and most impartial fans are probably willing the little man to win every time Wladimir fights.
Chambers was a spent force after the halfway point but Klitschko still stood off and played it safe.
Lennox Lewis used to do the same, and his landslide points win over David Tua 10 years ago was similar to Saturday's fight without the big finale (Steward was in Lewis' corner that night in Las Vegas).
With Chambers taken care of, the focus switches to England's David Haye who tackles John Ruiz in Manchester on April 3.
Haye is expected to beat Ruiz fairly easily and the match with Wladimir needs to be made to keep some kind of general interest in the division.
Yet for all the talk about Haye becoming the next big force in the heavyweights, I can't see it at the moment.
He boxed terribly against Nicolay Valuev last year to win the WBA crown and will need to do much better to have any chance against Wladimir.
A good showing against Ruiz will not necessarily mean he will be able to do the same to Klitschko.
Haye has been shouting his mouth off saying he will make the heavyweights exciting again. He could end up doing just that by being spectacularly knocked out by Wladimir.
Julian Turner is the Bangkok Post's Deputy Sports Editor.
Email: juliant@bangkokpost.co.th
Source: bangkokpost.com
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