Klitschko v Fury and the end of the heavyweights

It’s rare that you can pick a result right down to its minute details. But here it is: Wladimir Klitschko will win this weekend’s bout against Tyson Fury by knockout, with a left hook, in the opening six.

How I wish it weren’t so!

A Fury win would give the division a much needed shake-up, but Klitschko will pick him off – slowly and methodically. He’s done the same thing to every guy they’ve put in front of him.

The build up to Sunday’s title bout threatens to outshine the fight itself. Fury burst into the pre-fight press conference dressed in a Batman costume.

Klitschko told him that he was mentally ill, and promised to deliver a “therapy session” in the ring. Good talk from Klitschko, but it just doesn’t compare to the old days when Mike Tyson would threaten to rip a guy’s head clean off his shoulders. You can’t help but think that the heavyweight division has lost its soul.

Fury has come out and blamed the decline on Klitschko himself. Is he right? To answer this, we must go back in time.

One night
It’s Saturday night, April 10, 2004. Klitschko’s taking on Lamon Brewster for the vacant WBO title at the Mandalay Bay. The Ukrainian dominates from the opening bell, putting on a punishing display of punching. His jabs are going straight down the pipe and they’re as powerful as most fighters’ straight rights.

In the second frame alone Klitschko throws 112 of them. You have to double-check you’re not watching a bantamweight. Brewster’s in self-preservation mode and he’s copping it. But he doesn’t go down. His head could sponsor a brand of concrete.

In the fourth, Klitschko pushes Brewster onto the canvas, no knockdown. More punishment for Brewster. He cops a big right from Klitschko and he’s down again, this time legitimately. Brewster’s clinging on for dear life. The round ends with both fighters clumsily falling into the ropes.

In the fifth it all changes. Klitschko looks sloppy, his mouth’s wide open and he’s gasping for air. He’s not keeping his mitts up. Brewster explodes late in the round hitting Klitschko with hooks. Klitschko’s sent into the ropes and he’s given a standing eight-count.

Klitschko can barely stand up. Brewster moves in for the kill with a flurry of left hooks. He drops Klitschko after the bell. It doesn’t count as a knockdown, but it doesn’t matter. Klitschko has no idea where he is. Brewster wins by TKO.

What it meant
The fight caused Klitschko to adopt a more long-range game. He accelerated the use of his cynical ploys: holding, grabbing, and leaning on his opponents. It was the end of his user-friendliness for fans of the sport. Today, he resembles an automaton; the Bjorn Borg of boxing yet to find his John McEnroe. Most of his fights were hosted in Germany, adding an extra layer of distance.

Klitschko went on to beat Brewster in a rematch in 2007, and he’s now undefeated in 11 years.

Despite Klitschko’s unattractive style, 53 out of his 64 wins were inside the distance. He’s a knockout artist of the highest order. But he just doesn’t get the love he deserves.

Detractors play down Klitschko’s heroics, pointing to a lack of depth in heavyweight fighting. They’re right. Klitschko has dispatched every mandatory contender he’s faced. They’ve all looked weak, sluggish and, let’s face it, fat. You can’t put any of this back on Klitschko.

Boxing in the United States has been bleeding young, black athletes to ball sports – baseball, basketball and football – for some time now. It’s no longer the blue-ribbon event it used to be.

The beneficiaries have been the welterweights, where Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley enjoy much more attention.

So, is Wladimir Klitschko to blame for the decline of heavyweight boxing? Yes, and no. Will we beat Tyson Fury? I see no reason that he won’t.