Klitschko Scores Final Round KO
Wladimir Klitschko dominated his world heavyweight title defence against Eddie Chambers and scored a crushing 12th round KO.
Klitschko dominated from the start with his strong left jab and Chambers tried to utilise his speed and tight defence to frustrate Wladimir. At one stage in round 2 "Fast Eddie" picked up the giant Klitschko in a clinch and dumped him on the floor. It looked like he was trying to unsettle the champion and throw him off the gameplan.
Chambers was giving away about 6 inches in height and reach and 35lbs in weight and he did look a lot smaller than "Dr Steelhammer". However, he was trying to make the champion miss and he did show excellent defensive skills to avoid a lot of punches and take a lot on his tight guard. Klitschko would break through though here and there with stiff jabs and the very occasional right hand. A right hand in the second staggered Chambers but Wladimir failed to follow up effectively.
As the rounds went by Klitschko started to dominate more and more and the upset was looking increasingly unlikely. Chambers probably realised by the 6th or 7th that he was going to need a KO to win and that was not looking likely at all. His corner were berating him and trying to get him to stand and trade more but this is easier said than done.
Wladimir once again though was showing what a cautious champion he is. He doesn't like to throw punches that miss and potentially leave him open to counters and hence he often doesn't throw enough. He keeps things simple with the excellent left jab and the sparing right hand when he sees a slight opening. He rarely throws other punches - no uppercuts, hardly any hooks and he doesn't have good punch variety. Body shots a a real rarity as well.
However, what Wladimir does is highly effective and nobody seems able to overcome his formidable weapons despite knowing pretty much what he's going to do coming into the fight.
Heading into the later rounds the fight was repetitive and Emmanuel Steward, Klitscho's trainer, was now urging Wlad to step things up - mix in the left hook and apply more pressure and intensity - to a weakened opponent.
Before the 12th round Emmanuel Steward was showing frustration with the champion despite his dominating performance and you had to agree with him. Wladimir was struggling to stop Chambers but this was mainly because he just wouldn't let his hands go enough.
However, in the 12th and final round Klitschko did finally step things up and show more urgency and a bit more punch variety. In the end a crushing left hook caught Chambers and he was immediately out cold.
There were a worrying few moments as Chambers lay slumped motionless on his front but eventually he was able to stand and he seemed OK afterwards.
I think Chambers comes out of the fight with some credit. He was fighting a much bigger man and he showed guts and courage as well as a lot of defensive skill. He just wasn't equipped to cope with Klitschko, as was the case with nearly all of his recent opponents.
Perhaps David Haye will be the next opponent if he can overcome John Ruiz in April. You'd have to fancy Wladimir as a strong favourite but if Haye can make him stand and fight and not let him settle behind that fearsome jab then you never know!
