Eurosport - Sat, 20 Jun 23:57:00 2009
Ukraine's Vladimir Klitschko retained his world heavyweight titles by handing Ruslan Chagaev his first defeat thanks to a technical knockout after the ninth round in Germany.
Klitschko, 33, held on to his IBF, IBO and WBO belts when the referee stopped the fight before the start of the 10th round in front of 61,000 fans with the Uzbek WBA champion-in-recess bleeding from a large cut above his left eye.
Standing 1.99 metres tall, Klitschko initially held the challenger, who is 14 centimetres shorter, at bay with his longer reach before knocking his opponent down with a powerful left-right combination midway through the second round.
Unable to get close to the champion, Chagaev, who had a 25-0-1 record going into the fight, took a series of punishing jabs that slowly chipped away at his defences.
He suffered a three centimetre cut above his left eye in the sixth round but battled on at the Schalke 04 football stadium.
Chagaev, 30, who did not face WBA champion Nikolai Valuev after the Russian pulled out of their fight late last month because the Uzbek had the hepatitis B virus, managed to come back and landed a couple of body blows.
But Klitschko dominated in the eighth and ninth rounds, forcing Chagaev to the ropes and landing dozens of punches as his shaken opponent's eye bled profusely.
Referee Eddie Cotton inspected the wound after the ninth round and decided to stop the fight in favour of the Ukrainian whose impressive performance takes him to 53-3-0.
Klitschko, whose brother Vitaly holds the WBC crown, was initially scheduled to fight David Haye before the Briton pulled out with an injury earlier this month.
Comment 27 - 46 of 66
Hi cameron have you noticed how many people are now ignoring poor neilsenti our resident hillbilly white trash,he was a novalty at first but now people realise he knows sweet fu ck all about boxing, he's just being blanked,quite funny really and a little bit sad
Point taken Jack.
hey torrnanse. You no when u sed u were gifted, how r u gifted. and dont comant on ma spelin its not a spelin comp.
hey torrnanse. You no when u sed u were gifted, how r u gifted. and dont comant on ma spelin its not a spelin comp.
Cameron I saw the highlights of the fight and it's the brother's sheer size rather than ability which makes them so hard to beat,those straight jabs and right crosses are basic but so punishing.I'd like to think Haye will be mobile enough to get round/under them but I honestly think he'll get bullied.Lewis was never great he was just huge,that's why Klitchko gave him such a rough night,it would take someone that big to do it.Okay the Corrie Sanders episode,but anyone can be caught cold,look no further than Lewis /Rahman.Norton was a great fighter but a big heavy like George Foreman made a heavy bag out of him,think these boys would do the same,Ali may have outpointed them but not heavy handed enough for the ko,Frazier I loved to bits but would have been too small same goes for Tyson.Big George would have murdered them both.We are looking at a dominant force in the heavys I agree with Lee B we've been conditioned to think if it's not Yank then it's there by default.
Give credit when its due! Klitchkos are the best at the moment - if you can beat them - please do!
As for comparisons, Tyson would not survive a fist fight in any decent greek village in Donbass (he is just way too small) - but that does not make him a bad fighter - or produces a vacuum in boxing when he ruled the world.
Sorry Lee, but i truly believe the Klitschko's are ALL about marketing and PR; very carefully, and expertly manufactured - and also extremely fortunate to come along at a time when there was a massive vacuum in the heavyweight division!
They do not appear to have the inate fighting prowess of any of the fighters from bygone eras, Kenny Norton would've knocked both of them out for sure. They are predictable walk forward plodders (in my opinion), and are absolutely wide open to the over hand booming right hands that a Kenny Norton used to throw with aplomb; Haye's speed will expose Vladimir here, but i fear he will himself be knocked out because he is simply not a heavyweight. Don't get me wrong, they are undoubtedly the best out there; it really is that bad.
Cameron i do not agree mate. Please do not think this a racist comment , but i really think that every Boxing lover [ all over the world ] is very much brainwashed into thinking that heavyweights should be American / African and should cuss everyone they are fighting . Its been this way for 50 years . These brothers have caught everyone by suprise really , even though they are beyond 30. Everyone is catching up on this already .. i reckon this is something that will not be seen for many years. That performance last night was as good as i have seen from any heavyweight since Lewis/ Tyson.. Trouble is , a fighter only becomes great by beating great fighters ... or at least ones who can be made to look great. Look , cmon , neither Ken Norton or Leon Spinks were great fighters at the time . I was only a kid but i remember them coming into the fight as rank outsiders. Jack , Neil etc , you may have a better memory . The problem is the brothers are thrashing everyone and making them look second rate , unlike Ali . [ not that i am saying Ali is better or worse ] I just think that in a couple of years we are gonna be saying what a strange era of heavyweight boxing this has been , because we did not see greatness when put in front of us , , and the brothers finally being world superstars.
handley mate, cudnt agree more. lewis was a bum. and to think hes bin abarked into the h o f is a joke. next they'll be inviting matthew hatton in. and jerry or lance or whoever it is dont comment on my spelling cus im here 2 talk boxing not hav a fu king spelling competiotipnm u w ankers.
cameron, i agree mate.
Sorry John, Holyfield never beat Lewis; he got a draw, a very, very suspect draw at that - so suspect that it was investigated by the FBI.
cameron w
i agree with you the golden age of heavyweights wouldnt entertain anyone who is around today,but lenox lewis only fought past there best fighters holyfield who beat him once and tyson were way past it,he was limited and boring.
Jack i watched this sad excuse of a World Championship Heavyweight contest; Chagaev is an out-and-out bum par excellence mate. I cringe when i look at today's heavyweight scene; it really is laughable. I know it is sounding repetitive but nonetheless it is true, none of these 'fighters' would've been anywhere near the Top-20 in the Golden era of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Shavers etc.
Both the Klitschko brothers are plodders, mind you i will be forever grateful to Vitali for knocking outcold the Prancing Destroyer Herbie Hide a few years ago; could watch that bum getting knocked out every day! Haye, alas won't stand an earthly against Klitschko simply because he is too light; he is a class above in the skills department but once he gets tagged he will fall (remember the Cat?). Did you see the fight on the undercard between Sprott and this man-mountain Ustinov? I mean Sprott was giving away FIVE stone man . . .. crazy! Ustinov has a record of 15-0-0, so i expect him to get a shot sometime soon; i swear he would get knocked out in the Bigg Market - 5 stones advantage, and not once did he trouble the chinny journeyman Sprott.
It really is a shame we never got that rematch with Lewis and Klitschko because an on-song Lewis would've put this plodder to pasture for good - over-rated for sure, but sadly they are the best out there . . . . . . . the saddest possible indictment on the current state of Heavyweight boxing.
I see haye has started mouthing off again,about what he is going to do to the klitchko brothers,if i had pulled out of yesterdays fight i would try and keep my mouth shut for at least a day or two.haye is a good example of why boxing is not as good as it once was.He has done nothing may be he needs a new partner ,audley harrison he promoted himself ,and read his own press and believed it,they could call themselves fraudley and gayvid promotions,or deludid and gobby.john.
torrence, u seem to think that under middle class, we have 'HILLBILLY'S', surely it goes, upper, middle, working. o no, i forgot, u wudnt no, uve never dun a days graft in ur life have ya. MIDDLE CLASS.
sirstevejones13 comment number 15 you said and I qoute "pull the trigger and shoot the nigg%r" I have reported you to yahoo and advised them to contact the police,insighting racial hatred is an offence in this country
Lee B, you called that a masterclass against a top 5 opponent, then that just goes to show how poor the heavyweight scene is. that poor that they can't even get ppv anymore..
p.s sirstevejones is as demented as you you dozey f uck,still not convinced you're not the same person,couldn't possibly be two people with your views alowed among the general population
neilsenti learn to read, I said "I'll go for rsf in the 10th I think the big guy will just have too much for him" . .idiot. "fists of all you didn't . . ,onj this site" oh dear,you really are a fool. Can't believe I'm bothering my middle class blach a ss talking to you ,inbred hillbilly that you are .Vote BP
Didn't see the fight Lee but the big brothers seem pretty unstoppable at the moment,saying that neilsenti has sparred them both,so maybe he should give it a shot,sure the brothers would be interested in fighting someone who moves so effortlessly through lightwelter to heavyweight.
torrence, lance and jeremy, read post 27. and follow up with action. it will help ur lives so much.
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